This year, hurricane Florence has had a decisive influence on the sweet potato market. The hurricane moved across the US and decimated the harvest in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The scientific dispute between the EU and the South African citrus industry has again resulted in stalemate as the latter’s three proposals to manage citrus black spot (CBS) in a more financially and environmentally sustainable manner were summarily rejected.

South Africa’s stonefruit season is now well underway for most fruit categories, with good market conditions expected in Europe over the coming weeks.

A recently published research paper by agricultural economists Jan Greyling and Philip Pardey in the Agrekon Journal brings home some key points about South Africa’s maize production in terms of commercial and smallholder share contribution. This is timely given the current debates about transformation in South Africa’s agricultural sector, with questions about the progress of smallholder black farmers arising.

At this year’s annual Subtrop marketing symposium for the subtropical fruit industry, speakers made reference to the consistent growth in global demand for, in particular, avocados, but cautioned that continuous promotion and consumer education campaigns were an essential part of maintaining this growth.

The continual prosperity of the macadamia industry has led to a rapid increase in orchards with the industry adding around 2 000 additional hectares each year.