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Agriculture News

ETGL expands its logistics business into the tractor, motorbike sectors

By: Irma Venter 25th October 2021 ETG Logistics (ETGL) has announced that it is expanding its product and service offering to the farming and automotive sectors. ETGL is the logistics vertical of ETG, a global conglomerate with business interests across various industries. →

Agri SA urges urgent action to keep input costs under control

By: Marleny Arnoldi 22nd October 2021 Industry organisation Agri SA has expressed concern about rising input costs for the agricultural sector, echoing concerns raised by the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) earlier this week. Agri SA says the cost of direct materials, labour and other overheads are particularly worrying,... →

Food inflation in September again higher than expected, reports research body

By: Rebecca Campbell 22nd October 2021 The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has reported that food inflation in South Africa last month was higher than expected, at 6.6% year-on-year. Food inflation contributed 1.1 percentage points to the consumer price index headline inflation figure of 5% for the month. On the other... →

Summer crops enjoying rain, but fuel costs putting pressure on agri sector

By: Marleny Arnoldi 20th October 2021 Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) says the planting season for South Africa's 2021/22 summer grains and oilseeds started positively in the eastern and central regions. The season has been met with favourable rains that naturally improves soil moisture. →

Biogas engines supplied to ethanol producer

15th October 2021 Multinational gas and diesel power plant specialist Clarke Energy has secured the sale of two of gas engine manufacturer Innio Jenbacher’s biogas engines to ethanol distiller PressCane Limited, based in Chikhwawa, Malawi. The ethanol production site generates biofuel in the form of ethanol, which... →

Logistics becoming a pertinent woe in agri sector, Ministers agree

By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th October 2021 Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan have both acknowledged the challenge that logistics has become in the agricultural industry, particularly over the last year. Speaking during industry organisation Agri SA’s annual general... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Agriculture cannot prosper if govt allows intellectual capital to emigrate, says Agri SA

By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th October 2021 Speaking during Agri SA’s annual general meeting (AGM) on October 14, outgoing president Pierre Vercueil highlighted how a defensive approach to land reform was of no help to anyone. He referred to the various pieces of legislation being amended or instituted – including the Deeds Registries... →

Company establishes green rare earth fluoride manufacturing plant based on Necsa intellectual property

By: Donna Slater 14th October 2021 Over the past two years, Pretoria-based rare earth (RE) minerals refinery Rare Earth Refiners (RER) has designed, built and commissioned a demonstration plant for the green production of RE fluorides using a R15-million grant from the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). REs, and especially... →

An image of the rare earth fluoride production machine based on intellectual property developed by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation

The rare earth fluoride production machine based on intellectual property developed by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation

Cotton farming provides diversification options for South African canegrowers

By: Creamer Media Reporter 14th October 2021 The SA Canegrowers Association will present the outcomes of a recently concluded cotton diversification pilot project to the Sugarcane Value Chain Masterplan Task Team on diversification. "These findings represent an exciting new avenue for the sugar industry to explore in pursuit of viable... →

Macadamia factory success is testament to what collaboration can achieve

By: Marleny Arnoldi 5th October 2021 Macadamia farming is a sunrise industry, holding much promise for farmers, the economy and consumers alike, particularly as the market is experiencing exponential growth in demand, says Marquis Macadamias director Roelof van Rooyen. Discussing the inner workings of macadamia farming and... →

Marquis Macadamias Africa nut processing

Marquis Macadamias shares insight on the industry and company

Kaap Agri to dispose of TFC shares for R502m

By: Schalk Burger 4th October 2021 JSE-listed fuel and agricultural retail and trade company Kaap Agri will dispose of its share of fuel station property company TFC Properties for R502-million and will use the proceeds to reduce borrowings and provide dry powder for higher return generating acquisition opportunities, the company... →

Headwinds mounting for world economy into final stretch of 2021

By: Bloomberg 4th October 2021 The global economy is entering the final quarter of 2021 with a mounting number of headwinds threatening to slow the recovery from the pandemic recession and prove policy makers’ benign views on inflation wrong. The spreading delta variant continues to disrupt schools and workplaces. US lawmakers... →

Unitrans Africa acquires crop-spraying drone fleet

By: Irma Venter 30th September 2021 Unitrans Africa has acquired a fleet of the world’s largest spraying drones. The seven Chinese-made DJI T30 Agras drones were developed at a cost of more than R400-million. The T30 drones are already in operation in Malawi and Mozambique, with results exceeding expectations in terms of spraying... →

One of the DJI T30 Agras spraying drones

Barloworld reflects on resilient group performance

By: Schalk Burger 28th September 2021 JSE-listed equipment and services company Barloworld says the group achieved a resilient performance for the 11 months to August 31, in what remains a tough operating environment. The resilient performance was driven by a robust performance from industrial equipment, together with a substantial... →

York Timber swings to record Ebitda in FY21

By: Marleny Arnoldi 28th September 2021 JSE-listed integrated forestry company York Timber Holdings has managed to swing from a loss a share of 69c in the 2020 financial year to earnings a share of 44c in the financial year ended June 30. The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation improved by... →

Research body highlights surge in food inflation last month

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th September 2021 Last month saw higher food inflation than expected, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has reported. South African food inflation came to 6.9% in August (in year-on-year terms), continuing a rising trend that started in February. Last month’s food inflation was 0.2% higher than... →

Company highlights advantages of aluminium for industry

By: Anna Moross 24th September 2021 Water-jet cutting company MAXJET GLOBAL highlights why aluminium is becoming one of the main materials used in the aerospace, automotive and signage industry and the steps taken to process aluminium through water-jet cutting. →

An image of the water-jet cutting machinery

WATER-JET CUTTING When using precision water-jet cutting and profiling with aluminium, there are different steps in the process of implementation for different projects

Panel discusses ‘sustainable food’ in Africa

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd September 2021 Africa’s food systems are at cross-roads, faced with the pressure of producing more for a growing population, while also tackling increasing levels of malnutrition. Taking place a few days before the United Nations Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable... →

Experts unpack hindrances to food security in Africa

Research group reports low level of market concentration in SA agriculture

By: Rebecca Campbell 21st September 2021 In a recent brief report, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) pointed out that, according to the available data, the agricultural sector was one of the South African economy’s least concentrated sectors. And while agro-processing was much more concentrated that agriculture itself,... →

Refrigeration system to cut energy costs available

By: Halima Frost 17th September 2021 With South African retailers looking for ways of recovering from the latest lockdown, as well as the looting and vandalism, an opportunity to decrease costs on the system that comprises the bulk of their energy spend, which is refrigeration, has arisen. “All food retailers rely on refrigeration... →

A large solar installation on a clients roof installed by EP Refrigeration, which is grid-tied and decreases the clients reliance on grid power

LIGHT WORK Adding a solar installation to a company's refrigeration unit deceases the cost of running the unit off grid power alone

Global citrus demand increases refrigeration demand

By: Halima Frost 17th September 2021 A global increase in demand for South African-grown citrus, as well as more export regulations, has resulted in a substantial increase in demand for refrigeration capacity, says local refrigeration manufacturer EP Refrigeration business development head Dawie Kriel. “We not only need to add... →

A roof top refrigeration system installed by EP Refrigeration at a produce packing house

FRUITFUL SERVICES An increased need for refrigerated storage and transport capacity in the citrus sector is being addressed by EP Refrigeration

Opinion: Could South Africa’s logistics crisis derail the citrus sector’s stellar growth trajectory?

15th September 2021 In this opinion article, Nedbank head of agriculture John Hudson writes about how logistics constraints are hampering the growth of South Africa's citrus sector. →

ACI falls eight points, but agriculture sector remains in good shape

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th September 2021 The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz)/Industrial Development Corporation Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) has contracted back to 67 points in the third quarter, after having surged to an all-time-high of 75 in the second quarter of the year. Still, the current level reflects favourable... →

Ethiopian conflict hampering desert locust control, UN says

By: Bloomberg 9th September 2021 Desert locusts are breeding in Ethiopia’s northern regions unhindered due to ongoing conflict, threatening food production in other parts of the vast nation and in neighboring Eritrea, according the Food and Agriculture Organization. Bands are forming in Amhara, Afar and Tigray regions, the... →

Study confirms low enviro impact dairy farming equals higher profitability

By: Marleny Arnoldi 1st September 2021 Agricultural sustainability company Trace & Save has reaffirmed in a case study that a lower environmental impact is directly linked with higher profitability in the South African dairy farming industry. The company, in partnership with Nedbank and the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa... →

Doubling the sugar tax will result in thousands more rural job losses, report states

By: Simone Liedtke 1st September 2021 A report commissioned by the National Economic Development and Labour Council shows that, in the first year of the sugar tax’s implementation, there were 16 621 job losses across the industry, of which 9 000 job losses were in the cane growing sector alone. The South African (SA) Canegrowers... →

South African minority investors to form activist group to take on Tongaat

By: Reuters 31st August 2021 A group of South African minority shareholders is coming together to press for change at debt-laden sugar producer Tongaat Hulett, its leader told Reuters, building on earlier efforts at Ascendis Health. The move signals the further rise of minority shareholder activism in South Africa, after... →

Women-developed products launched with the help of the Technology Innovation Agency

By: Donna Slater 30th August 2021 Five women-led products and innovations, developed with the assistance of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), were launched and showcased to the market on August 30. The products include skincare products, a personal tracking device for children, an alternative to drinking yoghurt and a... →

Sea Harvest posts R323m interim profit

By: Marleny Arnoldi 30th August 2021 Seafood manufacturer Sea Harvest has achieved headline earnings growth of 19% year-on-year to R202-million for the six months ended June 30. This while earnings a share came in 27% higher year-on-year at 77.7c. →

Agricultural employment probably stable, not increasing, despite StatsSA report

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th August 2021 The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has cautioned that the apparent increase in the number of agricultural jobs during the second quarter of this year (2Q21) in comparison to the first quarter (1Q21) might be illusory. According to the figures released by Statistics South Africa... →

Western Cape High Court reserves judgment in Vinpro court case

By: Simone Liedtke 26th August 2021 The Western Cape High Court has reserved judgement in the court case launched by agricultural association Vinpro over the approach towards liquor ban restrictions within the Disaster Management Act followed by the South African government. Following arguments from the legal representatives of... →

Association welcomes renewal of poultry anti-dumping duties

By: Simone Liedtke 26th August 2021 The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) has welcomed the renewal of anti-dumping duties on imports of bone-in chicken from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK). The determination was issued by the independent International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa... →

South Africa crafts strategy for R28bn cannabis industry

By: Bloomberg 25th August 2021 South Africa’s government unveiled a master plan aimed at harnessing a R28-billion cannabis industry that could potentially create as many of 25 000 jobs and help attract foreign investment. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development led a two-year process to craft a... →

Agri SA concerned about skilled workforce decline despite employment gains in Q2

By: Marleny Arnoldi 25th August 2021 The agricultural sector was one of few that observed employment gains over the second quarter of this year, adding 69 000 people to its combined workforce, but industry body Agri SA remains concerned about a decline in the skilled workforce in the sector. The employment gains were recorded across... →

Land Bank makes another loss, debt plan not yet finalised

By: Reuters 24th August 2021 South Africa's Land Bank made another loss in the year to the end of March and is yet to finalise a debt restructuring plan, the bank said on Tuesday. The state-owned agricultural bank, which defaulted on its debt in April 2020 and missed a restructuring deadline in March 2021, is one of a... →

Western Cape rooibos industry receives a certificate for PDO in Europe

By: Yvonne Silaule 23rd August 2021 The European Union (EU) on August 23 handed over a certificate to the Western Cape Rooibos industry recognising its registration for Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in the EU. Rooibos is now the first African product to receive PDO status from the EU. →

Minister, panel members agree that Eastern Cape holds great agriculture potential

By: Marleny Arnoldi 20th August 2021 Although the Eastern Cape is a major source of primary agriculture and exports in the country, it is far from living up to its true productive and job-creation potential, Nascence Advisory and Research MD Xhanti Payi said on August 20. The consultancy hosted an Eastern Cape Agriculture Indaba,... →

Eastern Cape maize farm

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