In economic projections issued after their December meeting U.S. Federal Reserve officials on balance saw a measure of underlying inflation ending 2024 at 2.4%, with the lowest of individual estimates at 2.3%. Economists note that would require inflation to reaccelerate from its current six-month trend of just 1.9%, something many consider unlikely given the underlying math is already leaning towards at least a few more months of slowing.

Bykans 80 persent van die land se werksmag behoort nie aan vakbonde nie. Volgens die ANC se voorsitter, en voormalige hoofsekretaris van die N.U.M, Gwede Mantashe, is dit ‘n groot probleem.

Die media berig dikwels oor die kommerwekkende watergebruik en kweekhuisgasvrystellings van plaasdiere sonder om die metodes en konteks van die berekenings in perspektief te stel. Die opvatting het dus posgevat dat vleisverbruik skadelik vir die omgewing is. Dit is egter belangrik om die breër konteks van diereproduksie in ekstensiewe toestande in ag te neem.

The reduction in the Brazilian orange crop affected the volume of orange juice exports, but the increase in the commodity’s prices eventually offset it and guaranteed higher revenues from shipments in the first half of the 2023/24 harvest, from July to December.

The South African agricultural sector had a mixed growth trajectory in 2023. The past year saw the continuation of the post-pandemic recovery. It also saw the reduction in the prices of major agricultural inputs such as fuel and agrochemicals (mainly fertiliser) whose prices have been affected by the shortages induced by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

The agricultural landscape is experiencing a notable shift away from the conventional method of mono-cropping, where large expanses of land are dedicated to the cultivation of a single crop variety. That’s according to Paul Makube, senior agricultural economist at FNB, who says that sustainable crop production now demands urgent attention towards diversifying crops.

Demand for water in eThekwini has grown rapidly, largely due to population growth, and partly due to increasing leaks in the Municipality’s water distribution systems. The planners in DWS anticipated this growth in demand and put in place plans to transfer water from the uMkhomazi River to augment the uMWS, through the Umkhomazi Water Project, as well as a project to raise the wall of the Hazelmere Dam.

The Economist has updated its Big Mac Index for 2024, showing that the rand is still severely undervalued against the US dollar – and has lost even more value at the start of the year compared to 2023. The Big Mac Index is an initiative created by The Economist that aims to measure whether currencies are priced at their “correct” level.

For most South African farmers, surviving the cost-price squeeze is a far greater consideration than reducing methane emissions. While South Africans are not currently facing pressure to reduce carbon footprints like Europe and the US, emissions will need to be tackled in the near future.

Die impak van die voortslepende aanvalle op vragskepe in die Rooisee is nie net vir wêreldwye skeepsvaartmarkte erg ontwrigtend nie. Suid-Afrika se vleismarkte steier ook daaronder. Louw van Reenen, voorsitter van Beefmaster Holdings, sê hoewel die Rooisee nog altyd potensiële probleme ingehou het en daar soms ander oponthoude was, het die situasie nou heelwat vererger.

In 2023, a prodigy and futuristic Wandile Sihlobo published his second book titled, “A Country of Two Agricultures”, where he asserts that South Africa has not been successful in closing the productivity and inequality gap between white and black farmers.

Global growth is expected to be subdued, if not stagnant, in 2024 amid challenging market conditions, while global trade is also expected to be sluggish.According to the World Bank global trade growth in 2024 is anticipated to be only half the average of the decade before the 2019 Covid-19 pandemic.

Updates on international markets with reference to prices will only be available at the beginning of February. Available information reflects that of 4 January 2024. The 2022/23 season witnessed several price rallies in the cotton market. The peak cotton price was reached on August 30, 2022, hitting 135.25 cents per pound, while the lowest cotton price was recorded on 28 June 2023 at 72.26 cents per pound. 

Toyota hosted its seventh annual State of the Motor Industry summit at Kyalami on Thursday. As much as it celebrated record South African sales for its vehicles in 2023, SOMI proudly trotted out a number of thrilling new Toyotas set for SA in the coming months and a little beyond that too.

Climate change poses the most significant threat for South African insurance companies and risks raising premiums and the cost of reinsurance, a top official at its biggest insurer by assets said.

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AMT