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Agriculture News

South Africa will have to produce 50% more food by 2050 or face crisis – WWF

By: News24Wire 20th February 2019 South Africa faces an impending food security crisis if there isn't urgent action to correct unsustainable practices, says an environmental organisation. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), South Africa will have to produce 50% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated population of... →

Icasa boss sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud, money laundering

By: News24Wire 15th February 2019 Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) chairperson Rubben Mohlaloga has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud and money laundering. Mohlalonga was sentenced - alongside former acting head of the Land Bank Philemon Mohlahlane and attorney Dinga Rammy Nkwashu - on... →

Icasa chairperson Rubben Mohlaloga

Airbus launches new space-based service for precision agriculture

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th February 2019 Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS), one of the companies of the Europe-based aerospace group Airbus, has launched a new service to support precision agriculture around the world. Precision agriculture is an approach to managing crops using remote sensing technologies (airborne and space-borne),... →

Continental optimises tyre test with driverless test vehicle

15th February 2019 Automotive tyre manufacturing company Continental commissioned the first driverless tyre test vehicle for an assortment of road surface types at its test site in Uvalde, Texas, in the US. The aim of the endeavour was to make test results for the company’s passenger and light trucks more... →

DRIVERLESS NAVIGATION The driverless vehicle pilots the testing route with a GPS-supported satellite navigation system

Afgri Technology Services partners with UP organisation to foster agri innovation

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th February 2019 Afgri Technology Services (ATS) has partnered with the University of Pretoria’s (UP’s) TuksNovation to foster innovation in the agricultural sector. TuksNovation is a nonprofit organisation founded by the university, in partnership with the departments of Trade and Industry and Small Business... →

Marginal decrease in South Africa’s unemployment rate

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 12th February 2019 South Africa’s official unemployment rate decreased marginally by 0.4 of a percentage point to 27.1% in the final three months of 2018, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Tuesday. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) indicates the number of employed people increased by 149 000 to... →

Agri SA warns of negative impact of load-shedding on agriculture

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 11th February 2019 Agri SA has noted its concerns about the potential negative impact of load-shedding on the agricultural sector and the broader value chain. In a statement on Monday, the company highlighted that electricity is an important input cost for many farmers, especially farmers that depend on irrigation. →

Tongaat appoints CFO

By: Creamer Media Reporter 11th February 2019 JSE-listed agroprocessing company Tongaat Hulett has appointed Rob Aitken CFO, effective March 1. He has been serving as the company's acting CFO since August 2018, when former CFO Murray Munro took a medical leave of absence. →

South African exporters urged to exploit Germany’s new Africa-specific initiatives

By: Nadine James 7th February 2019 South African exporters should take advantage of new German initiatives on Africa, as they are geared towards stimulating business, trade and economic development, South Africa’s Foreign Economic Representative in Germany Jacob Moatshe stated at the Fruit Logistica Berlin trade fair, on... →

South Africa's Foreign Economic Representative in Germany Jacob Moatshe

Sea Harvest seeks to acquire remaining Mareterram shares

By: Simone Liedtke 5th February 2019 JSE-listed fishing business Sea Harvest has entered into a binding bid implementation agreement with its 56.3% held Australian subsidiary, Mareterram, to potentially acquire the remaining shares of Mareterram by way of an off-market takeover offer. Sea Harvest is offering A$0.25 for each... →

Aerospace group launches new space-based service for precision agriculture

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th February 2019 Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS), one of the companies of the Europe-based aerospace group Airbus, has launched a new service to support precision agriculture around the world. Precision agriculture is an approach to managing crops using remote sensing technologies (airborne and space-borne),... →

Clover’s shares rise on buyout offer

By: Simone Liedtke 4th February 2019 Dairy firm Clover Industries’ JSE-listed shares rose by 21% on Monday morning after it announced that it had entered into an implementation agreement with Milco South Africa (SA), which intends to make an offer to acquire all of Clover’s issued shares. Milco SA is a new company formed by a... →

Research shows West Africa is facing more frequent severe storms

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st February 2019 A multinational research consortium of British, French and West African institutes and scientists, funded by the UK Government, has ascertained that “mega storms” in West Africa occur three times more frequently today than they did 35 years ago. The results of the research are being applied to... →

Precision farming enables cost savings in a tight economy

31st January 2019 Agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere has evolved from supplying ploughs more than two centuries ago, to farmers being able to control their whole fleet through an app. Marleny Arnoldi tells us more about precision farming. →

Precision farming enables cost savings in a tight economy

ARC to launch new range of cultivated indigenous citrus, deciduous fruits in Germany

31st January 2019 The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) will, next week, launch its new range of cultivated indigenous citrus and deciduous fruits during the twenty-seventh Fruit Logistica International Trade Fair, in Berlin, Germany. The ARC will be among 25 businesses and research institutions that will... →

Good rains lift SA crop production estimates – agricultural economist

By: African News Agency 30th January 2019 After a slow start to the 2018/19 summer crop season with severe dryness during December particularly in parts of the North West and Free State provinces, conditions rebounded early in January 2019 as good rains provided the much-needed moisture for planting, a senior agricultural economist said... →

Agricultural sector plan prioritises job creation, agroprocessing

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th January 2019 Agbiz CEO Dr John Purchase on Tuesday shared the agricultural sector’s five-year business plan at the Business Unity South Africa Business Economic Indaba, held in Midrand. The plan for this sector prioritised the recovery of jobs lost as a result of the drought in the country and to continue... →

Agbiz CEO Dr John Purchase discusses the agricultural sector's five-year business plan. Video and editing: Nicholas Boyd.

South Africa farmers seek R3bn in drought aid

By: Reuters 25th January 2019 South Africa's agricultural industry body AgriSA will approach banks, agribusiness and government to raise R3-billion to help farmers hit by severe drought, its executive director said on Friday. Farmers have faced dry conditions over most of the nation for the last year, even as they are still... →

Solar inverter available for water pumps

By: Halima Frost 25th January 2019 Obtaining water in rural and domestic environments from boreholes, ponds and dams is now easier, with technical solutions provider BMG’s Motoline P19000-S series of solar inverters for photovoltaic (PV) water pumps. The solar inverters are used to power pumps for agricultural irrigation and... →

EASY PEASY Solar inverters make rural irrigation systems easier to power

Company focused on agriculture

By: Cameron Mackay 25th January 2019 The agricultural sector is set to become a significant focal point for leading bearings and power transmission product distributor Bearings International (BI) in 2019, as it expands its portfolio of agricultural application products in the first quarter of this year. “There are a few product... →

AGRI-SMART SOLUTION The joint venture will bring the most essential spare products closer to farmers, in order to satisfy their maintenance needs for bearings and agricultural products

Expanded products portfolio leads to new opportunities

By: Cameron Mackay 25th January 2019 New markets and opportunities have arisen after technical solutions provider BMG expanded its products portfolio with the addition of Fenner conveyor belting products last year. “BMG decided to sign a long-term agreement in 2018 with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) solid woven conveyor belting products... →

FENNER PRODUCT GROUP 2018 The extended scope has put BMG in a position to deal with conveyors clients

Namibia, South Africa sign fisheries MoU

By: African News Agency 24th January 2019 Namibia and South Africa have signed a fisheries Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), outlining how they will work together in various matters within the fisheries space as the two countries share a common border. The MOU was signed by Minister Senzeni Zokwana, and his Namibian counterpart,... →

South African wine grape crop for 2019 ‘marginally larger’ – Vinpro

By: Simone Liedtke 21st January 2019 The 2019 South African wine grape harvest is expected to be only slightly larger than that of 2018, as vineyards are still recovering from a three-year drought, bad weather during fruit set in October and a continued decline in wine grape vineyards, agricultural association Vinpro said in a... →

The 2018 harvest amounted to just over 1.2-million tonnes, 14% smaller than the previous year, mainly owing to the drought

AGCO to take farm mechanisation into rural African communities

By: African News Agency 21st January 2019 Global agriculture company AGCO has launched an initiative to take farm mechanization deep into rural communities in Africa to facilitate food security and unlock the potential of small-scale farming. AGCO, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, unveiled the Farm in a... →

Drought, animal disease threaten South African farmers

By: Reuters 21st January 2019 South African grain and red meat farmers are bracing for hard times after dry weather conditions and an outbreak of the highly contagious foot and mouth disease suspended meat exports, officials said on Friday. Maize prices have climbed amid concerns that dry conditions in the main part of South... →

Climate change threatens to make your morning brew more expensive

By: Bloomberg 17th January 2019 Coffee farmer Masumi Kondo wrapped himself in a cosy blanket on cool nights in the 1970s when he began growing the crop in the Franca region of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Now, thanks to persistently warmer weather, he needs an air conditioner. It’s not just the sleeping habits of farmers... →

New SAPA division GM to focus on chicken dumping issue in South Africa

By: Marleny Arnoldi 16th January 2019 The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) has appointed businessperson Izaak Breintenbach GM of the association’s Broiler Organisation division. He succeeds Kevin Lovell who headed up the division for several years. →

Don’t hurt farmers with higher electricity tariffs, says Agri Western Cape

By: Kim Cloete 15th January 2019 Sharp electricity tariff hikes would have a major detrimental effect on the agricultural sector, Agri Western Cape has said during public hearings into electricity tariffs. In its submission to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), Agri SA said high increases in electricity costs... →

Hudson appointed Tongaat Hulett CEO

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 14th January 2019 Tongaat Hulett has appointed Gavin Hudson CEO and executive director, effective February 1. Hudson was previously Beer Group president and CEO of Anadolu Efes, a company listed on the Turkish stock exchange. →

Agri-hub seen as key post-mining-economy jobs driver in west Gauteng

By: Terence Creamer 14th January 2019 An ambitious plan to develop Gauteng’s West Rand into an agri-industrial hub, primarily producing high-value crops for domestic and export markets, is starting to take shape and is expected to be officially launched during the first quarter of 2019. The initiative has been branded ‘Bokamoso Ba... →

Photo by Sibanye-Stillwater
The programme is part of bigger plan to build a sustainable post-mining economy in the West Rand

Agbiz appoints GM for Fruit Desk initiative

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th January 2019 Agricultural Business Chamber South Africa (Agbiz) has appointed Stephanie van der Walt Fruit Desk GM. The Fruit Desk is an initiative of Fruit South Africa, specifically the Citrus Growers Association, Hortgro, the South African Table Grape Industry and the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum, in... →

Nkomazi special economic zone to boost industrialisation in Mpumalanga

By: African News Agency 8th January 2019 South Africa's 10th special economic zone (SEZ), recently designated at Nkomazi in Mpumalanga, is expected to boost the industrial development of the province, the department of trade and industry (dti) said on Tuesday. The Nkomazi Special Economic Zone will be developed as an agro-processing... →

Land Bank appoints acting CFO, chief risk officers

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th January 2019 JSE-listed Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank) has appointed Konehali Gugushe acting CFO. It also appointed Sakhumzi Diza acting credit chief risk officer (CRO) and Nafiza Khan acting CRO. →

South Africa finds foot-and-mouth disease in cattle in Limpopo

By: Bloomberg 8th January 2019 South Africa’s Department of Agriculture has quarantined an area in Vhembe in Limpopo province following positive laboratory results for foot-and-mouth disease in cattle in the district. Samples were collected during a disease investigation after reports of cattle with lameness were received, the... →

Draft land-expropriation Bill released for comment

By: Bloomberg 21st December 2018 South Africa released for public comment a draft Expropriation Bill that outlines the circumstances under which the state can take land without paying for it. It may be just and equitable for no compensation to be paid where land is expropriated in the public interest, the government said in... →

Tongaat to make CEO announcement next month

By: Creamer Media Reporter 14th December 2018 JSE-listed agriculture and agroprocessing group Tongaat Hulett is finalising the appointment of a permanent CEO and said on Friday that it would make an announcement before the end of January. Sydney Mtsambiwa is currently interim CEO, following retirement of long-serving CEO Peter Staude on... →

Water monitoring platform one-stop shop for S Africa water intelligence

By: Cameron Mackay 14th December 2018 The website application Mzansi Amanzi (isiZulu translation of Water South Africa), has the capabilities to monitor and provide insight on surface-water resources across South Africa on a monthly basis, says Mark Thompson, the director of the earth observation technology company GeoTerraImage. The... →

THEEWATERSKLOOF DAM WESTERN CAPE Water is going to be the kingpin in just about every decision-making sector

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