Innehållsförteckning för 28 February 2025 från Farmer's Weekly

At the time of writing, the Budget Speech is only a week away, and with that, the Health Promotion Levy, also known as the sugar tax, has once again taken centre stage. In the lead-up to the speech, I have seen numerous posts on X by civil society organisation HEALA. I was not previously aware of the organisation, but its mission is a good one: to ensure that all South Africans have access to affordable and nutritious food. However, after scrolling through their various posts, I am very disappointed by the manner in which they are attempting to fulfil their mission. Almost every post I read was about how the sugar tax, which imposes a 2,21c/g tax on sugar that exceeds 4g/100ml of a sugar-sweetened beverage (but excludes fruit juices),…

The wine industry once again honoured the achievements of five remarkable players at the annual Wine Harvest Commemorative Event held in early February at Groot Constantia in the Western Cape. Johann Krige, co-owner of Kanonkop, received the 1659 Award for Visionary Leadership in recognition of his substantial contribution to the South African wine industry. According to a press statement, Krige is known for his proactive leadership and transformative ideas, consistently driving progress instead of anticipating it. His pioneering efforts have elevated Pinotage as a distinguished South African wine and shaped the South African wine industry and its standing on the international market. He has served on several boards, including Stellenbosch Wine Routes, Wines of South Africa and the South African Wine Industry Information and Systems. Praisy Dlamini, general manager and…

The struggle for land, finance, and market access in the Free State was a reality, according to Elzabe Rockman, MEC of Agriculture in the Free State. However, she said the two pieces of recently signed legislation, namely the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill and the Expropriation Bill, were set to support development and transformation in the agriculture sector. Speaking at the Sernick Group’s recent farmer’s day in Edenville, Rockman added that the passing of the Expropriation Bill in particular sparked a debate containing half truths and untruths. “The public debate has exposed a racist narrative that must be condemned and rejected with contempt. We must remember that we are, after all, a constitutional democracy and we will fight to uphold our Bill of Rights and our enshrined constitutional…

Embrapa, Brazil’s agricultural research agency, is planning a 12-year programme to develop cannabis cultivation, similar to how it helped turn the country into a global grain-production leader, Investing.com has reported. The agency’s scientists expect health regulator Anvisa to approve the programme this year. Historically, Embrapa has bred crops like cotton and soya bean that are suited to Brazil’s tropical climate. Researchers now seek to replicate this for cannabis by developing new seed cultivars, establishing a seed bank, and locating the best regions in the country for cultivation. “Can you imagine if we had already carried out the genetic improvement of [cannabis] like we’ve done with cotton in the last 50 years?” said Daniela Bittencourt, a cannabis work group researcher at Embrapa. The agency has garnered interest from approximately 10 local…

South Africa’s poultry industry has faced a range of challenges in recent years, but government’s renewed focus on boosting poultry exports offers a potential path forward. This was according to Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of the South African Poultry Association, who said there were obstacles and opportunities in expanding the country’s poultry exports, which were primarily directed towards neighbouring countries. According to him, exports had increased marginally during the past year, but the industry still faces several key challenges. “The most pressing challenge remains the impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has led to the suspension of frozen poultry meat exports to the [United Arab Emirates] since the outbreak. “While there are no diseased flocks left in the country, South Africa cannot be declared free from the disease until the…

The shortage of farming equipment technicians in South Africa is being exacerbated by the so-called ‘brain drain’ as the US lures these specialists away from the country. Ample opportunities, however, exist in South Africa, at competitive salaries. This was according to Stephan Nel, managing director of Case IH, who spoke at the company’s media day held earlier this month in Pretoria, Gauteng. Nel said the youth needed to be made more aware of the opportunities that existed in this field: “If you are good with your hands and don’t mind getting them dirty, then there is a promising career for you as a technician for farming equipment.” He added that starting salaries for technicians were on par with students exiting universities with degrees. When technicians gained experience in the field,…

The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) and Agbiz have projected 3% growth in South Africa’s agriculture sector in 2025, signalling a cautious recovery following an anticipated 5% contraction in 2024. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Tracy Davids, executive manager for commodity markets and insights at BFAP, said the anticipated growth stems mainly from a better summer crop season. “It is still early in the season and the rain started very late, but given progress to date and noting that significant uncertainty remains, the summer crop could be substantially better than the drought-reduced crop of 2024,” she said. Davids added that the depletion of maize stocks in 2024 would necessitate restocking, which, coupled with ongoing demand from Southern Africa for maize and maize meal, was expected to offer some price…

The global Brent crude oil market remains highly dynamic, shaped by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+) production strategies, geopolitical developments, and shifting energy policies. In recent months, OPEC+ has extended voluntary production cuts in an effort to stabilise prices, while the US administration’s new energy policies have introduced further volatility. These factors, combined with fluctuating global demand and supply pressures, have had a direct impact on Brent crude prices and, consequently, South African fuel costs. PRODUCTION CUTS At their last meeting, held on 5 December, OPEC+ members further extended their voluntary production cuts of 1,65 million barrels per day, initially introduced in April 2023 and extended in November 2023. The cuts have now been extended until the end of December 2026 to support market stability. Additionally, OPEC+…

South Africa is a nation with a diverse array of languages and cultures. As it currently stands, the country recognises 12 official languages. As a result, most South Africans are bilingual, or even tri- or multilingual. While this is reason to celebrate, with many studies having shown that bi- or multilingual people show greater problem-solving skills and improved memory, not all South African learners, whether at school or university, have access to mother-tongue learning. International Mother Language Day was established by UNESCO in 1999 and has been observed annually on 21 February since 2000. The day commemorates the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh, where students were killed while protesting for the recognition of Bengali as an official language. It highlights the importance of linguistic diversity, multilingual education and the…

Hentie van der Merwe, a macadamia nut farmer in Alkmaar, Mpumalanga, has made it his mission to understand every aspect that can influence the quality and yield of his crop. “There are hundreds of factors that can make a difference – it’s not just one big thing. Things also change from one year to the next; what worked last year will not necessarily work this year. This is why benchmarking and time in the orchards is crucial,” he says. Van der Merwe’s orchards range from recently planted trees to those that are 22 years old. His main cultivars are A4 (46%), 816 (31%), and Beaumont (11%), and he achieves an average yield of 3,5t/ha dry nut in shell from the mature trees. This is much higher than the industry average…

HIGHEST PRICE: (RAM) R38 000 Barkly East – The Hencil Dohne Merino Stud Production Sale was held on 29 January on the farm Grootvlei, on behalf of Cecil and Henk van der Merwe. The highest price of the day was paid for a ram, which was sold to Francois Wilken of Bethel in Van Stadensrus for R38 000. Rams achieved an average price of R11 500. In-lamb ewes carrying singletons achieved an average price of R2 362, while in-lamb ewes carrying twins were sold for an average of R2 500. The sale was held by Vleissentraal, with André van Zyl as the auctioneer. – Gavin Isted…

The DA has filed papers in the High Court to challenge the recently signed Expropriation Act. In a press statement, Helen Zille, chairperson of the DA Federal Council, said the party had asked the court to nullify the Expropriation Act in its current form, because “no government in a democratic country should be given such sweeping powers to expropriate property without compensation”. She added that the DA had not forgotten that the apartheid government used similar powers to forcibly remove communities from their land, often with inadequate compensation or none. “History teaches us that true redress requires protecting property rights, ensuring that no government is ever given unchecked expropriation powers again,” Zille explained. In the court papers, the DA argued that the right procedures were not followed to pass the…

Swartland producers have suffered a major financial blow with unfavourable climatic conditions in 2024 leading to wheat yields being at least 1t/ha lower than the long-term average. Wheat quality has also suffered and is generally lower than the crop of the 2023 season. On top of this, MJ Swart, Grain SA’s regional manager of marketing and farmer development in the Western Cape, told Farmer’s Weekly that farmers also had to contend with high input costs and low commodity prices. Canola production was also affected. Koos Blanckenberg, chairperson of Grain SA’s canola specialist work group, said that canola production in the Swartland declined from a decent average of around 1,7t/ha to roughly 1,2t/ha. Production on some farms averaged as low as around 0,5t/ha to 0,7t/ha. “The Swartland only accounts for about…

In an effort to create opportunites for aspiring cannabis professionals across Southern Africa, Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Academy is offering four scholarships aimed at empowering individuals passionate about the industry. Through these scholarships, the academy offers education and training to students interested in becoming key players in the burgeoning cannabis industry. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Bianca Kaiser, director and co-founder of Cheeba Africa, the academy’s holding company, said the scholarships were created to bridge the gap between the industry’s immense potential and the barriers that limit access to quality education. “The industry holds immense potential for economic growth, job creation, and entrepreneurship across Africa. However, access to quality education remains a significant barrier for many aspiring professionals. Education should not be a privilege but an opportunity for all, especially for…

UNITED STATES OoNee, a sea urchin ranching start-up, plans to build a large-scale aquaculture facility in Oregon, to help restore kelp forests while producing high-value seafood, according to a report by Thefishsite.com. Company founder Aaron Huang became interested in kelp forest conservation in 2014 when rising ocean temperatures led to the decline of predators like the sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides). In the absence of these predators, sea urchin populations grew uncontrollably, leading to the destruction of kelp forests. UNITED KINGDOM The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) anticipated a decrease in the UK’ beef production for 2025 as a result of the continuing decline in cattle numbers. According to Agriland.ie, this could lead to a rise in demand for Irish beef exports to the UK. UK beef production increased…

US President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order (EO) that demanded the immediate suspension of aid to South Africa, and promised to “establish a plan” to help “disfavoured minorities” resettle in the US as refugees. The EO was signed following the signing of the contentious Expropriation Bill into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the end of January. The amended Expropriation Act allows for expropriation of property without compensation. The EO, according to Trump, was an attempt to hold government responsible for “human rights violations”, which included the blatant discrimination “[…] against ethnic minority descendants of settler groups”, as well as government “taking up positions against the United States and its allies”. In terms of the latter, the EO particularly mentioned South Africa accusing Israel of genocide at the…

Minister Nomakhosazana Meth of the Department of Employment and Labour recently announced a 4,4% increase in the national minimum wage (NMW). From 1 March, the NMW will sit at R28,79 per regular hour, up from the R27,58/hour paid in 2024. Amy Barclay, head of the Land Centre of Excellence at Agri SA, said that while Agri SA acknowledged the NMW Commission’s efforts to balance the protection of farmworkers’ livelihoods with the long-term sustainability of the agriculture sector, the increase would be a challenge for farmers who were already grappling with rising input costs. “From 1 April, the sector will also face a 12,7% increase in electricity tariffs, alongside rising fuel prices driven by global oil markets and a weakened domestic currency,” she said. Compared with 2011, Barclay said, farm labour…

The Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA) recently announced that one of the beneficiaries of its blended finance initiative achieved a record-breaking summer harvest valued at over R985 000, highlighting the impact of the programme. Thulani Magida, founder of Juta Agritech in Keiskammahoek, has seen substantial growth in his business, thanks to the financial support he has received through the initiative. “[Magida’s] summer harvest alone has been valued at nearly R1 million, reinforcing the success of the blended finance model. The funding has allowed him to expand his operations and increase his workforce to 67 employees, including 11 permanent staff, 29 youths and two university graduates. “His produce is now being supplied to RSA Group, Subtropico Market Agents, AA Market Agency, Nick’s Foods Spar, Kwa Fetting Spar, spaza shops, hawkers…

Red Meat Industry Services recently published a comprehensive report on the current situation and outlook for the red meat industry (see bit.ly/3CM1dre). This is a summary of the report. INTERNATIONAL SITUATION In its latest World Economic Outlook Report, published in January 2025, the International Monetary Fund said it expected global economic growth of 3,2% for 2025 and 2026. The global demand for red meat is expected to increase mainly as a result of growing demand in major consumer countries like China, the US and EU. The global supply is expected to grow slowly as a result of production constraint in various countries. Global prices are expected to increase slightly during 2025 and 2026. DEMAND FOR RED MEAT IN SA The lockdown during the COVID-19 epidemic resulted in a sharp decrease…

Rising input costs and tight market conditions are forcing ostrich farmers to pay more attention to the quality of the products they deliver. “Ostrich feathers and leather compete in the fashion and luxury markets, so farmers must produce products of excellent quality,” says Dr Anel Engelbrecht, ostrich researcher at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s (the department) Oudtshoorn Research Farm. Her research focus is on improving ostrich leather quality. However, achieving this goal is easier said than done, as it requires changes to ostrich breeding and management. GENETIC SELECTION In terms of genetics, a lot can be done to improve breeding stock through the selection of animals for specific qualities. The challenge with this, according to Engelbrecht, is that farmers typically keep 100 to 200 ostriches in a breeding flock,…

Frankie by Graham Norton (Coronet, R425) Sometimes the person you choose to tell your story to – and, in turn, understand it better yourself – isn’t a relative or a close friend but an arbitrary person who enters your life by chance. Frankie Howe is in her eighties, recovering from a bad fall, and a friend’s arranged a carer for her. Despite the couple of generations between them, the two click culturally and over their discomfort about living in Ireland. Frankie’s experiences reflect Ireland’s harshly judgemental Catholicism of the 1950s; her uneasy attempts to fit into London’s new trends, only to find herself once again not running her own life; and the thrill of New York in the 1960s and 1970s. But telling her story, she’s back in London, much older,…

This article showed that a carefully selected new crossbreed offered sound advantages for extensive ranching in harsh areas. The dream of every cattleman is to find, or better still, produce an animal that will give top production at the lowest cost, with virtually no attention. Way up in the bushveld, in the sweltering heat of the Phalaborwa area [in what is today Limpopo], there is a farmer who believes he has succeeded in doing just that by producing what he calls Huguenot cattle. Danie Laubscher, manager of Croc Ranch at Gravelotte, together with his employer, Dennis Solomon, has spent more than 25 years perfecting a cross between the Charolais and Afrikaner that is able to thrive under the worst conditions to be found in the region. Laubscher says that from…

Agri Northern Cape has called on all role players in the South African agricultural value chain to maintain the moral high ground and refrain from spreading half truths and ill-considered statements about the Expropriation Act, which has been signed into law. According to Willem Symington, Agri Northern Cape president, factual correctness as far as the matter was concerned was of the essence. “Declarations and announcements based on emotion and skewed realities are extremely damaging to the local agriculture sector, especially as far as exports are concerned,” he said in a statement. Symington explained that private property rights formed the cornerstone of any society to thrive through a healthy economy and wealth creation, especially in the case of the agriculture sector. As such, Agri Northern Cape was concerned about the possible…

Asiatic redwater, also known as bovine babesiosis, is one of the most prevalent protozoan tick-borne diseases in cattle, causing huge losses for cattle producers in South Africa. At present, the disease is responsible for the majority of cattle deaths in the Free State, while a few decades ago it wasn’t even present in the province. This was according to Dr Danie Odendaal, director of the Veterinarian Network. The disease is spread by the Asian or pantropic blue tick (Rhipicephalus microplus) and is caused by an organism known as Babesia bovis. “The female tick becomes infected while feeding on an infected animal or a carrier animal. After having a blood meal containing the Babesia Bovis organism, the engorged female tick then drops off and lays [around] 2 500 eggs. Symptoms of…

If the US implements the high import tariffs on China President Donald Trump lobbied for during his pre-election campaign, it would invariably have an impact on South Africa. Trump pushed for the US to impose tariffs of up to 20% on all imports and 60% on those from from China. China’s import taxes on certain US products came into effect earlier this month, as reported by the BBC, after the latter announced levies of 10% on all Chinese products. China’s latest tariffs on goods from the US include a 15% border tariff on US coal and liquefied natural gas products and a 10% tariff on US crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars. According to Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, it is not known how China would react should…

The South African citrus season has ended on a high note as record-high juice prices and fewer logistics issues made for a successful season. Farmers have, however, been advised to focus on efficiencies to avoid unnecessary losses and ensure long-term sustainability. Speaking at Citrus Research International’s (CRI) post-harvest workshop held recently in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, Juan Winter, managing director of specialised advisory and solutions company Source BI, said 2024 was a “phenomenal” year in terms of pricing. “Gross margins per hectare for hard citrus for 2024 is expected to exceed the R129 725 high of 2020, compared to R89 696 achieved in 2023,” he explained. He expected the high juice prices to hold for at least another year, although resistance from consumers could see prices softening thereafter. Maintaining an efficient export…

African Perspectives on Agroecology is a new book with 33 contributions from academics, non-governmental organisations, farmer organisations and policymakers. It is free to download, and reviewers have described it as a “must-read for all who care about the future of Africa and its people”. The book outlines how agroecology, which brings ecological principles into farming practices and food systems, can solve food shortages and environmental damage caused by mass, commercial farming. The Conversation asked the book’s editor and the South African Research Chair on Environmental and Social Dimensions of the Bio-economy, Prof Rachel Wynberg, to set out why this book is so important. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE CURRENT SYSTEM OF FOOD PRODUCTION? The dominant model of modern agriculture in the world is based on monoculture, where one crop is grown…

Alpacas have a storied past, with their domestication being traced back to the high-altitude regions of the Andes in South America, where the Inca civilisation held them in high regard. They were first domesticated in the Puna highlands of Peru around 6 000 to 7 000 years ago. The Incas bred alpacas for their fleece and believed they were a gift from Pachamama, the goddess of earth and time. Their fibre was woven into garments fit for emperors, and the animals were used in many rituals and ceremonies. Now, thousands of years later, the alpaca is still highly valued for its exceptional fibre. “With the global movement away from massproduced goods and synthetic fibres, there is growing demand for natural, sustainable alternatives. Alpacas, with their eco-friendly footprint and premium fibre,…

Camel’s milk is gaining attention as a potential alternative to cow’s milk due to its hypoallergenic properties and possible health benefits. Research from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia has revealed that camel’s milk contains more bioactive peptides than cow’s milk. According to PhD student Manujaya Jayamanna Mohottige, these peptides have antimicrobial and anti-hypertensive properties, which can help protect the gut from harmful pathogens and promote improved digestion. They may also have an effect on lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, the researchers said that more testing was needed to confirm this. Unlike cow’s milk, camel’s milk doesn’t contain the allergen β-lactoglobulin, which makes it a good option for people with milk allergies. It also has lower lactose levels (3,5% to 4,5%) compared with cow’s milk (4,6%), which benefits…

Dear Prof McCrindle, Is African swine fever (ASF) still a problem in 2025? We heard a lot about outbreaks last year; have they been sorted out? Is there an effective vaccine? Can the disease be transmitted by wild animals and birds? How will I know if my pigs are infected? Kind regards, Small-scale pig farmer, Midrand Dear Small-scale pig farmer, Yes, ASF outbreaks are currently still a serious risk in South Africa, and according to the Department of Agriculture, there are several open cases that have yet to be resolved. It is very important for pig farmers (especially small-scale and part-time farmers) to maintain their biosecurity measures, as there is no vaccine available at present. This means that anyone who visits your piggery should wear gumboots and walk through a…