Weeklikse Afrikaanse Landbou Nuusoorsig - Die Afrikaanse/Engelse Nuus is die afgelope paar dae op AGRI NEWS NET geplaas, saam met nog ander artikels. 

Weekly summary of some News in the  Agri and Farming media.   GET YOUR MARKETING on this Page - 

South Africa has experienced two months of extremely dry and hot weather — February and March. The impact of harsh weather conditions on agriculture across the country is visible through crop failures. The 2023/24 summer grain and oilseed production is down 21% year-on-year, estimated at 15.8-million tonnes. We are now at an advanced stage of crop development where there would be minimal to no improvement, even if it rains. Indeed, if one reflects on the past few days, we have received some excellent rainfalls in various regions of South Africa, but this has had minimal benefit on crops.

Toestande vir somerreënstelsels gedurende Mei lyk tans meer gunstig as wat aanvanklik voorspel is, terwyl die oorgang na winterreën stadiger kan plaasvind. Geïsoleerde tot sterk somerreën-laagdrukstelsels wat plek-plek swaar reën en hael kan veroorsaak, kan nog gereeld gedurende Mei voorkom. Indien gekyk word na vorige jare se weerstelsels wat met vanjaar s’n ooreenstem, soos 2016, het ’n groot deel van die somerreëngebied bogemiddelde reën gedurende Mei gehad. “Dit lyk dus asof die volgende weke tot einde Mei eerder gaan neig na somerreënval as ’n verandering na winterreën en baie koue toestande,” sê Johan van den Berg, onafhanklike landbouweerkundige.

Though the El Niño event that the South African agriculture sector warned of in 2023 has passed, its long-term effects are expected to weigh particularly heavily on oilseed producers. In a report by the US Foreign Agricultural Service, senior agricultural specialist Dirk Esterhuizen said forecasts indicate that South Africa’s oilseed area will drop for 2023/24 and remain at 1.8-million hectares in 2024/25. Esterhuizen said the oilseed crop in 2023/24 had been affected by an El Niño-induced midsummer drought, resulting in an expected major drop in crop volumes. However, he said the service’s post in Pretoria forecast an increase of 27% in oilseed production in South Africa in 2024/25 after the drought-reduced soya bean and sunflower seed crops in 2023/24.

Motorists in South Africa should brace for another petrol price hike at the pumps next week, despite positive moves for global oil prices. According to the latest data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) closing off the third week of April, petrol prices are expected to increase by about 35 cents per litre from next week (1 May), while diesel prices are in for a drop of around 30 cents per litre. The under- and over-recoveries in fuel prices have experienced a volatile week in both the global oil and forex markets – with the former swinging wildly on uncertainties around tensions in the Middle East. Oil prices have calmed significantly at the start of this week, as some of the premium from tensions in the Middle East continued to fade from the market.

Outstanding articles of the week. Summary of some news Headlines in the Farming and Agriculture media.

According to the 2022/2023 Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), capacity and governance challenges within Communal Property Associations (CPAs) persist as a pressing concern in many parts of the country. The department acknowledges that while there are flourishing CPAs, the majority of CPAs are not compliant with the Communal Property Associations Act of 1998.  READ MORE 

The ongoing digital transformation of the agriculture industry drives market demand for AgriTech platforms that streamline operations, automate processes, and enable data-driven insights. As farmers and agribusinesses seek to optimize resource allocation, minimize input costs, and maximize yields, they turn to digital solutions for farm management, crop monitoring, precision agriculture, and supply chain optimization. READ MORE 

The agricultural sector has an ambitious and unifying vision through the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) launched in May 2022. Indeed, the AAMP is imperfect, and some aspects were contested during its drafting stages. This is expected given the breadth of social partners involved in crafting it. Still, most social partners, such as the business community, government, and labour, agreed that the AAMP offers a framework to grow the agriculture and agro-processing sector, build competitiveness, attract more investment, improve inclusion, and create jobs. These prospects would help to address South Africa's socioeconomic challenges, particularly in rural areas and small towns. READ MORE 

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