http://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Follow @EngNewsZA

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Agroprocessing News

Davies endorses Itac’s recommendation of increase in sugar import duties

By: Simone Liedtke 15th August 2018 Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies has endorsed the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa’s (Itac’s) recommendation for an increase in import duties on sugar to $680/t. While the level is not at the maximum bound rate, as initially requested by the industry in the... →

Tribunal approves Zaad, Hygrotech merger

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th August 2018 The Competition Tribunal has approved the merger of Zaad Holdings and Hygrotech Properties, which are both involved in the breeding, producing, processing and distribution of agricultural seeds. Zaad, which will be the controlling company, specialises in forage seeds, and is also involved in... →

AfDB head calls for agriculture technologies to optimize African farmers' output

By: African News Agency 10th August 2018 African farms should be given access to technologies that will enhance production, with evidence from countries such as Nigeria demonstrating that technology coupled with strong government backing are yielding positive results, African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina has said.... →

W Cape focusing on creating certainty in agriculture sector

By: Erin Steenhoff-Snethlage 10th August 2018 The Western Cape provincial government is focusing on creating certainty for the agriculture industry by trying to ensure that farmers can continue farming and save jobs by requesting an increase in the water allocation to the industry from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), says... →

CERTAINTY NEEDED Farmers are positive about recent rains in the Western Cape, but more rain is needed to sustain recovery efforts

South Africa has significant potential for biopharming, bio economy

By: Erin Steenhoff-Snethlage 10th August 2018 Judging by the number of patent applications filed for biopharming inventions by local universities, research councils and science councils, there is significant potential for South Africa to create an industry around biopharming, claims intellectual property firm Spoor & Fisher. “Biopharming is... →

Photo by Bloomberg
BIOPHARMING POTENTIAL Maize, potato, and tobacco plants can be used in biopharming

DA proposes free trade, cost and regulatory reductions to stimulate manufacturing

By: Schalk Burger 7th August 2018 Political party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), on Tuesday proposed increased free trade and reducing regulatory burdens and energy costs to stimulate manufacturing in South Africa. In its policy proposal, ‘Manufacturing a new economic future’, the party states that “an effective trade policy... →

Staude to retire as Tongaat CEO; CFO to take extended medical leave of absence

By: Creamer Media Reporter 6th August 2018 Peter Staude will retire as CEO of JSE-listed Tongaat Hulett, with effect from October 31. He worked for the company for 40 years and served as CEO for the past 16 years. →

System installed at sugar refinery

20th July 2018 Industrial equipment group Goscor Cleaning Equipment (GCE), in partnership with authorised dealer Maverick Industrial Cleaning Solutions, recently supplied and installed a Delfin vacuum system at agroprocessing company Tongaat Hulett sugar refinery in Rossburgh, Durban, the company noted in a... →

SYSTEM SUPPLY The Delfin vacuum system was supplied and installed through Maverick Industrial Cleaning Solutions

SA’s ambitious Youth Employment Service starts taking shape

By: Marleny Arnoldi 20th July 2018 The Youth Employment Service (YES) aims to create one-million jobs within three years to help alleviate the situation of six-million unemployed youths in South Africa, 60% of whom reside in townships and rural areas. YES was established by the CEO Initiative, which is a partnership created... →

YES CEO Tasmia Ismail-Saville discusses the first hub opening and company involvement towards the initiative. Camerawork and Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Chemicals factory to support value chain opened in Maluti-a-Phofong SEZ

By: Schalk Burger 6th July 2018 An industrial chemicals factory opened in the Maluti-a-Phofong special economic zone (SEZ), in Harrismith, Free State, will play a key intermediate role in supporting the value chains that pass through this transport node, says the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Chemicals and Textiles... →

KEVALI FACTORY IN HARRISMITH Visitors and dignitaries tour the new chemicals factory in July

Danone's Morocco dairy firm loses 50% of milk market – CEO

By: Reuters 27th June 2018 France's Danone will never quit Morocco despite its local dairy firm Centrale Danone having lost more than 50% of its market share in fresh milk due to a consumer boycott, Danone's chief executive said on Tuesday. Unknown activists launched a consumer boycott campaign on April 20 against major... →

Sub-Saharan farmers to fight Fall Armyworm with new digital weapon

By: African News Agency 26th June 2018 The fight by sub-Saharan farmers against the Fall Armyworm pest, which has devastated crops and threatened food security for 300-million people, has gone digital. The United Nations (UN) has reported that the new weapon which was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and... →

South African sugar industry to march over influx of imports

By: African News Agency 26th June 2018 Hundreds of sugar cane farmers from KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces will on Tuesday march to the Department of Trade and Industry in Tshwane demanding that a tariff on sugar be reinstated to protect the domestic industry from cheap imports. The South African Sugar Association (SASA) said... →

Avocado 'green gold' ripe and ready for South Africa's farmers

By: Reuters 21st June 2018 Whether you like to squash it onto your toast in the morning, millennial-style, eat it to cut your cholesterol with healthy unsaturated oil, or moisturise your face with it - if you live in the West, you're probably rarely far from an avocado. And that is very good news for South Africa's... →

South Africa’s metrology institute reports successful food safety conference

By: Rebecca Campbell 14th June 2018 The National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA) announced earlier this week that it had held its first Africa Food Safety Workshop during the first week of this month, in Pretoria. The event was attended by delegates form South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world. They represented... →

Africa's largest fishing firm Oceana could lose fishing rights in Namibia

By: Reuters 6th June 2018 Africa's largest fishing company Oceana Group faces a battle to hold onto its fishing rights in Namibia after the southern African country said listed firms would no longer be awarded quotas. Bidvest Namibia, which is listed on Namibia's stock exchange, could also lose its local fishing rights... →

AgriProtein aims to break ground on R500m Gauteng fly factory in November

By: Irma Venter 6th June 2018 Waste-to-nutrient group AgriProtein aims to break ground on its second South African fly factory in November. AgriProtein rears fly larvae on organic waste and harvests the larvae to make natural, high-protein animal and fish feed products. →

The Cape Town fly factory

African Swine Fever outbreak reported in South Africa

By: Reuters 31st May 2018 African Swine Fever (ASF), a severe haemorrhagic disease of pigs, has been reported in South Africa's Northern Cape Province, the department of agriculture said on Thursday. The new blow to South Africa's pork industry comes as prices tumble after a Listeria outbreak that has killed more than 200... →

Albany reopens Virginia bakery after R70m refurbishment

By: Anine Kilian 31st May 2018 Bread producer Albany has reopened its bakery in Virginia, in the Free State, following a R70-million refurbishment. The new bakery will initially operate for 12 hours a day, across two shifts, with plans to eventually increase output to full capacity, baking for 24 hours a day, across three shifts. →

DTI, stakeholders establish sugar value-chain task team to address industry challenges

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th May 2018 The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has established a sugar value-chain task team, comprising representatives from the beverage industry, retailers, the South African Sugar Association (Sasa), smallholder farmers, small manufacturers and the Industrial Development Corporation of South... →

Tongaat Hulett reports R1.9bn FY18 operating profit

By: Simone Liedtke 28th May 2018 Agriculture and agroprocessing business Tongaat Hulett’s operating profit for the year ended March 31 reached just over R1.9-billion, with the company’s sugar operations recording an operating profit of R837-million, despite being adversely affected by several factors. Among these, were imports... →

Avian flu still affecting agricultural cycles – Quantum Foods

By: Simone Liedtke 24th May 2018 The first six months of the current financial year proved how quickly agricultural cycles can change, says diversified feeds and poultry business Quantum Foods. This is evidenced through two main factors influencing the macroenvironment during this period, ended March 31. →

Too early to expect any marked improvement in trading environment – Rhodes Food

By: Simone Liedtke 22nd May 2018 While improving consumer confidence in the country is positive for growth, Rhodes Food Group says it is too early to expect any marked improvements in the regional trading environment. The food manufacturer on Tuesday reported a 16.6% year-on-year increase in its group turnover to R2.5-billion... →

Pioneer Foods achieves credible interim performance

By: Simone Liedtke 21st May 2018 JSE-listed Pioneer Foods achieved a credible performance for the six months ended March 31, with total sales volumes up 4% year-on-year and revenue up 3% year-on-year to R9.9-billion. Mainly as a result of volume growth and the normalisation of the maize procurement position, the company’s gross... →

Some inroads made after ten years of the Industrial Policy Action Plan - Davies

By: Kim Cloete 15th May 2018 Ramping up production in the automotive sector, resuscitating the ailing tooling industry and boosting the clothing, textiles, leather and footwear industries are among successes the government has listed in its review of ten years of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (Ipap). Despite a... →

South Africa's Astral Foods H1 profit jumps more than five fold

By: Reuters 14th May 2018 South Africa's Astral Foods said on Monday its profit surged more than five fold for the first half ended March, helped by higher sales and prices in its poultry business. Revenue at the company's poultry division increased by 23% to R5.5-billion ($448.5-million), as an improvement in poultry... →

Bayer to sell South African cotton seed business as part of Monsanto merger conditions

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th May 2018 The Competition Tribunal on Friday approved a merger between German multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer and US multinational agrochemical corporation Monsanto on the condition that the merged entity sell the Bayer South African cotton seed business. →

Wine prices to rise as global shortage looms

By: Simone Liedtke 8th May 2018 The South African wine industry needs an upward price adjustment to ensure a sustainable supply going forward, amidst a looming wine shortage, says industry body Vinpro. Vinpro’s ‘Wine Harvest Report 2018’ shows that wine grape production is at 1.2-million tonnes – an almost 15% decrease compared... →

Consumers can expect to pay between 8% and 11% more for their favourite wine

South African farmers take AB InBev to competition watchdog

By: Reuters 7th May 2018 Farmers in South Africa have filed a complaint with the country's competition watchdog about Anheuser-Busch InBev's decision to change its pricing formula for buying malt barley, a key ingredient in beer making. The farmers lobby group Grain South Africa believes AB InBev, the world's biggest... →

Agri SA launches water desk to ensure farmers get fair share of precious resource

By: News24Wire 4th May 2018 Agricultural industry association Agri SA has launched a water desk that will be dedicated to helping farmers across the country get equitable access to water, it said on Friday. Several policy proposals could increase the cost of water and reduce the amounts available to agricultural users, Agri... →

South African wine-maker Distell sees lower crop amid drought

By: Reuters 2nd May 2018 South African alcohol beverages maker Distell Group's 2018 wine grape harvest was 30 percent down on the previous year due to drought in the Western Cape but grape quality was promising, its head winemaker said on Wednesday. South Africa has declared Western Cape and other regions as disaster... →

Pests, diseases a burden on agriculture – ARC

By: Anine Kilian 25th April 2018 Despite an influx of agricultural imports and an increase in pests and diseases coming into the country over the past 20 years, South Africa has not invested adequately in pest and disease control strategies, says Agricultural Research Council (ARC) president Shadrack Moephuli. “We have not been... →

SAB, AB InBev on track with five-year public interest commitment investments

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd April 2018 South African Breweries (SAB), together with its parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), has spent R209-million on Public Interest Commitments (PICs) in 2017, with investments in agriculture, enterprise development and societal benefits programmes in South Africa. With the merger of SAB... →

Call made for ‘broad coalition’ to reverse South Africa’s premature deindustrialisation

By: Terence Creamer 20th April 2018 A new no-holds-barred study of South Africa’s economic transformation over the past two decades concludes that the country has not only deindustrialised prematurely, but has also failed to materially transform its economic structure to one that encourages inclusive growth and development. Titled... →

Short retention time silo installed in Thailand

30th March 2018 A recent milestone for project manager and equipment designer Bosch Projects, in conjunction with its technology partners in Thailand, was the development of a new short retention time (SRT) refined sugar conditioning silo, designed to significantly reduce conditioning time and capital investment... →

NEW TECHNOLOGY The newly developed short retention time refined sugar conditioning silo enables reduced residence time of 16 hours, compared with the standard period of between 65 and 72 hours

Polymer offering diversified into US beet sugar industry

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th March 2018 Thermoplastic producer Vesconite Bearings is expanding its polymer offering to the US beet sugar market, building on its experiences and success in the local and US sugar cane industries. Vesconite Bearings began supplying its locally-produced polymers to the South African sugar industry in 2009... →

PROCESS SWEETENER The HiTemp 150 hanger bearing is an abrasive-resistant material, ideal for applications that are wearing on traditional materials such as bronze

Insufficient tariff requires urgent intervention

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th March 2018 The current sugar import tariff of South Africa is insufficient to regulate imports, which makes it imperative that the tariff be increased, says South African Sugar Association (Sasa) executive director Trix Trikam. “There are various systems to implement tariffs, with South Africa employing a... →

PROBLEMATIC The Health Promotion Levy currently being pursued will have an adverse effect on the local sugar market

Company Post

Reliability. Durability. Prosper-Ability. Isosyn Technology

more

Latest News

Emira delivers positive FY18 performance with 2.53% distribution increase

Orion turbocharges Prieska study

Rand rout threatens fuel price stability, warns AA

Two workers die at Dubai aluminium furnace, EGA says

ANC chairperson wants state to seize land from those with over 12 000 ha

Freedom Property subsidiary sells noncore residential units

Rand slumps as Moody's says fiscal consolidation slows

What is driving a rally in EU carbon permit prices?

M&R expects to report higher FY18 earnings

South African black property owners want certainty over land reform policy

Gordhan announces whistleblower hotline to boost fight against corruption

Kibo to acquire 60% stake in UK energy company

SA Express flights to take off next week – Gordhan

City of Joburg’s inner city revitalisation