Innholdsfortegnelse for 4+11 April 2025 i Farmer's Weekly

In this week's issue, we include an article on how beekeepers should nurture their bees to help them perform optimally (see story on page 40). We also have a news article on page 21 that reports on a study done on a pepper farm about pollen viability during summer and winter, and how this impacts pollination. These articles sent me down the rabbit hole of beekeeping and bee health, and why there is so little attention being paid (at least by the general public) to the importance of bees to food production. For example, I read an article published by KLTV about a survey (conducted by Project Apis m.) that sampled over one million honeybee colonies and found that colony deaths have reached an all-time high across the US. According…

South Africa continues to grapple with high levels of poverty, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities. In 2023, approximately 55,5% of the population lived below the poverty line, while unemployment stood at 34,5% (Statistics South Africa, 2023). This socio-economic landscape creates significant barriers to upward mobility for marginalised communities. There are ongoing conversations on how important farming is in the livelihoods of rural people, leading to government, NGOs, and other support institutions responding with different interventions. Seriti Institute, a South African community development facilitation agency, has responded by establishing vegetable nurseries in Limpopo (Bela-Bela), North West (Deelpan), Mpumalanga (Standerton), and KwaZulu-Natal (Inchanga) in an initiative that leverages agriculture to combat food insecurity and poverty. The initiative not only focuses on providing high-quality vegetable seedlings but also prioritises the cultivation of…

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa's (CGA) biennial citrus summit (see story on page 20). The theme of this year's event was ‘Tough times don't last, tough people do’, which was fitting. Over the course of the three-day summit, political analysts, trade specialists, and researchers provided great insights into various factors that affect the citrus industry. These included critical knowledge of the global citrus market, trends on the global juice market, geopolitical uncertainties, trends in global logistics, and the potential impact of rising protectionism and tariffs on several markets. While all the speakers shared diverse insights, a single, poignant message shone through: the world is becoming increasingly unstable, which is going to affect all countries, not just South Africa. In such a…

AfriForum has submitted formal applications in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to each of Gauteng's three metropolitan municipalities (Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane) to obtain information about their incredibly high water consumption. These applications follow in response to water restrictions that were introduced in all three metros in November last year, aimed at forcing residents to limit water consumption. However, AfriForum argued that high water consumption in the province cannot necessarily be blamed on residents and that excessively high consumption probably stems from waste due to poor municipal maintenance of the water networks. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Marais de Vaal, AfriForum's adviser for environmental affairs, said the metros’ latest water consumption levels exceeded the amount of water that can be supplied by Rand Water by approximately…

Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing is ramping up its efforts to meet the growing demand for quality apples across Africa. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Conrad Fick, Tru-Cape's marketing director, said that two decades ago, apple varieties like Granny Smith, Top Red and Golden Delicious were the staples for African markets, with red apples predominantly sold locally. Today, however, a broader range of apples was finding its way into East and West African countries. “East African markets like Tanzania and Kenya now buy Royal Gala, Cripps Red, Cripps Pink, and Pink Lady from us. While Golden Delicious remains dominant in West Africa, red apple varieties and hard pears are steadily gaining ground,” Fick said. Tru-Cape Managing Director Roelf Pienaar said this growth came with its own set of challenges, particularly in managing financial…

In an address at the official opening of the House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders in early March, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane urged traditional leaders to leverage the land under their custodianship to attract investment to improve their communities and drive agricultural growth. Mabuyane's call came as the Eastern Cape government continued to focus on empowering communities through land-based initiatives, particularly in rural and communal areas. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Eastern Cape MEC for Agriculture Nonceba Kontsiwe said: “The Department of Agriculture has long focused on transforming communal land into productive agricultural resources. Traditional leaders are making land available to their citizens through a legal governance framework, and we fully recognise those land-use rights.” According to her, the department had also introduced grant funding opportunities for rural communities looking…

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network, hosted a National Dialogue in mid-March at the ARC Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants Institute in Roodeplaat, Pretoria. This was in preparation for the Agricultural Working Group meetings in April and September and the G20's Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS-G20) in April. Opening the dialogue, ARC President and CEO Dr Litha Magingxa said: “The ARC is proud to play a pivotal role in the G20 processes, particularly in co-ordinating the convening of the Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists. This platform is instrumental in ensuring that research informs policy decisions, shaping strategies that drive sustainable agricultural development.” With South Africa currently holding the G20 presidency chair, Magingxa said…

On 19 February 2025, South Africans witnessed a unique case when government failed to table the Budget in Parliament and postponed it to 12 March. Since then, Parliament has embarked on the processing and approval of the Budget. This has triggered public interest on whether Parliament has the capabilities, willingness and impartiality to review, amend (if necessary) and approve the Budget. Will Parliament simply focus on procedural matters and approve the Budget as proposed and tabled by government? The events unfolding in Parliament could set a precedent on how the agriculture sector deals with statutory levies that are collected in terms of the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act (No. 47 of 1996, as amended). This Act provides agricultural industries with the opportunity and policy protection to apply for statutory measures…

The effect of pesticides on bees has been much publicised, yet Inge Austin, beekeeper and owner of The Beeger Picture in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, emphasises that even products that don't fall into an insecticide category can harm bees. “There is no such thing as a bee-friendly chemical; some just affect bees more than others. Chemicals like fungicides, for example, don't directly kill bees, but they reduce pollen fermentation, which is needed to feed the larvae. Eventually, the larvae die because they are not receiving optimal nutrition,” she explains. The LD50 value is used to describe the toxicity of pesticides, which represents the dosage of a pesticide that kills 50% of a test population of bees. Chemicals with an LD50 value are considered ‘soft’. “This is regarded as a ‘bee-friendly’ pesticide, but…

SERVES FOUR TO SIX For the avocado hummus 1 avocado, peeled and stoned 400g tin chickpeas, drained 15ml (1 Tbsp) tahini, optional 1 garlic clove, crushed 30ml (2 Tbsp) avocado or olive oil Juice of 1 lemon, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste For the spicy tomato steak Avocado or olive oil 300g beef sirloin steak 250g packet cherry tomatoes 30ml (2 Tbsp) red wine vinegar 15ml (1 Tbsp) chilli flakes To serve 4 to 6 slices sourdough bread, toasted 1 avocado, sliced Handful basil • To make the avocado hummus, blitz together all the ingredients until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. • For the spicy tomato steak, heat a large frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Add a splash of oil and…

Dear Prof McCrindle, As a breeder of valuable warmblood horses, it is important for me to prevent African horse sickness (AHS). Were there any outbreaks in the country in February and March this year? What is the most affordable method of prevention? I have pregnant mares, mares with foals at foot, and a very expensive imported stallion on my farm. The income from horses sold must be able to support the expenses of AHS control. Warmblood Breeder, Gauteng Dear Warmblood Breeder, In Gauteng, we have had unusually heavy rainfall since the beginning of the year. Now, however, it is becoming damp and misty, and these are the ideal conditions for Culicoides midges to proliferate. Cases of AHS are being reported in most provinces in the summer rainfall area, so it's…

The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer's Weekly. “As civil society organisations committed to food justice, children's health and education rights, we are alarmed by the handover of McDonald's-branded ‘Mi Desk’ desks to two Cape Town schools earlier this year, facilitated by Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube. This follows similar corporate-branded desk donations from Old Mutual and Hollywood Bets. We are concerned about this disturbing trend, which must end now. The McDonald's donation of desks to schools should not be seen as charity; it is junk food marketing that is targeting vulnerable children. At a time when South Africa faces a compounding crisis of malnutrition, obesity, and a non-communicable disease epidemic, allowing fast-food branding into schools is grossly irresponsible and negligent.…

The UK's National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has cautioned that farmers may be forced to prioritise intensive food production over environmental work. This followed the government abruptly shutting down the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), a key green funding scheme launched in 2022, BBC.com reported. The SFI paid farmers to protect soil, restore hedgerows, and boost biodiversity. According to the government, it was successful, with 37 000 agreements signed. Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU, called the move “another shattering blow to English farms”, and warned that it could force farmers to abandon their environmental efforts just to stay afloat. Speaking to BBC News, Anna Biesty, who has a 300ha organic farm in Norfolk, said she planned to apply for SFI funding, but now faced a £140 000 (around R3,3 million) income…

The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa's (CGA) 5th Citrus Summit, held in March at the Boardwalk Hotel in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, drew over 700 citrus growers, industry experts and policymakers from across Southern Africa. The event provided a platform for discussing the challenges and opportunities facing the region's citrus industry, which is a key player in South Africa's agriculture sector. Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen delivered a keynote address via video message. “South Africa's citrus industry is one of the success stories of our country. We are the second-largest citrus exporter globally, contributing around 10% of global citrus exports. Two-thirds of our citrus production is exported fresh, generating 95% of citrus earnings annually and creating substantial employment opportunities. “In a country with such a high unemployment rate, the citrus…

UK-based Paul Temple, vice-chairperson of the Global Farmer Network and one of the keynote speakers at the Grain SA Congress 2025, held in March near Bothaville in the Free State, said Brexit helped him realise that he had to decide to adapt his agricultural practices, and not wait for others to give him permission to do so. He advised South African farmers to “no longer ignore the calculator”, emphasising the importance of making informed decisions and asking the right questions to remain relevant in the future. He also urged them to drive change proactively rather than waiting for it to happen, while managing capital and valuing labour. Temple highlighted the importance of conservation agriculture, sharing his personal transition from high-intensity cultivation (an expensive high-tillage system that involved ploughing, power equipment…

Biosecurity and monitoring protocols will have to be eased to allow for vaccinations against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or South Africa could find itself heading for a catastrophe. This was according to speakers at a webinar hosted in March by FairPlay. Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of the South African Poultry Association's (SAPA) Broiler Organisation, said the poultry industry invested over R2,2 billion in farms, hatcheries, and processing facilities from 2017 to 2023, leading to a significant increase in poultry production. In 2023, however, producers had to deal with load-shedding, high feed costs and water issues, while HPAI resulted in the culling of about 30% of South Africa's poultry flocks at a cost of over R9,5 billion. “Government does not compensate producers for these losses, which means that many, especially smaller…

The Absa AgriTrends 2025 Autumn Edition report provides a comprehensive analysis of key industries within South Africa's agriculture sector. It covers essential topics like commodity price trends, production forecasts, market risks, and emerging opportunities. The summary here offers a brief overview of the publication's key insights. The first chapter examines global geopolitics that have gained momentum since 2024, with trade dynamics entering 2025 in a particularly complex state. The report explores how shifting global trade dynamics, such as US tariffs and geopolitical tensions, are impacting South African agriculture. It addresses both direct risks, including potential changes to the African Growth and Opportunity Act and trade relations with the US, and indirect effects, such as currency volatility and evolving market opportunities in Europe and China. The chapter also discusses how protectionist…

From Sloet Steenkamp in Arende to Boet in the iconic Castrol ads, Ian Roberts's chameleon-like qualities give Nomad Heart (Jonathan Ball, R330), his moving yet often hilarious memoir, greater resonance. In his childhood on an Eastern Cape farm, Roberts thrived on the harsh experiences that demanded all senses operate on full alert. But he withered amid boarding-school claustrophobia. His search for a no-rules lifestyle eventually landed him in acting, although many years were marked by his lack of self-belief and tackling it in self-destructive ways. There's heartbreak when others fail to emerge from such trials, and exuberance when hearts and minds entwine. In between behind-the-scenes snapshots of the development of TV drama and film, you'll recognise favourites among the stars and shows he mentions as, via directing and writing plays, he…

This article showed that a former building contractor began farming poultry and went on to make a tidy sum every month. Probably the last place one would expect to find a modern-day broiler enterprise is up in the Ntabakunetha Mountains at Dukuza, not far from Isandlwana in KwaZulu-Natal. Dukuza, a fertile, high-rainfall region bordering the Tugela River, accommodates about 100 000 members of the Amangwane and Masisini tribes and is earmarked for extensive conservation farming, says Elija Ntleko of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The neighbouring Woodstock Dam supplies the area by underground canals. This is also the spot where Joseph Mphuthi, a former building contractor, began farming poultry three years ago for a living, as well as to upgrade the standard of his community. “I hoped a well-run…

UK-based agricultural investment company AgDevCo is looking to partner with South African agribusinesses that wish to develop assets, activities and markets in the rest of Africa. The company recently received an US$85 million (around R1,5 billion) capital injection to further agricultural transformation across sub-Saharan Africa. The funding comprises US$50 million (R903 million) from British International Investment, the UK's development finance institution and impact investor; US$20 million (R361 million) from Swedfund, Sweden's development finance institution; and US$15 million (R271 million) from Norfund, Norway's development finance institution. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, AgDevCo CEO Daniel Hulls said the company's main geographical investment focus was in lower- and lower-middle income countries in Africa, such as Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini and potentially Zimbabwe in the south; Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia in the East;…

TURKEY AND UKRAINE Turkey and Ukraine have begun collaborating in the agriculture sector, with Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Kovalev and Türkiye's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli having recently signed a memorandum of scientific, technical, and economic co-operation. According to The Odessa Journal, the meeting included discussions on the progress of their national agriculture sectors and an evaluation of the current state of agricultural trade between the two countries. UNITED STATES In mid-March, a group of US farmers sued the Donald Trump administration to unfreeze billions of dollars in funding for programmes developed under the Inflation Reduction Act. The lawsuit, filed in a Washington, DC court, challenges Trump's 20 January executive order, ‘Unleashing American Energy’, which immediately halted all funds allocated under the 2022 Act.…

A new study conducted by the Bee-Tech Group (Bee-Tech) has found that seasonal weather variations have a significant impact on pollen viability in pepper crops, with direct implications for pollination success and overall crop yields. Jaimee Harris, head of research at Bee-Tech Group, told Farmer's Weekly that the team had examined the performance of the cultivar Pepper X under different seasonal conditions, providing key insights for growers looking to optimise production. She added that the study was conducted in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, during September 2024 (late winter) and again in February 2025 (late summer). ‘YOU NEED A LARGE NUMBER OF VIABLE POLLEN CELLS TO ENSURE GOOD FRUIT SET AND SIZE’ “We've been doing pollen mapping on various crops, linking abiotic factors like temperature, humidity, and wind speeds to pollen viability…

The DA has called on the Free State government to seek short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to settle its outstanding municipal debt as a matter of urgency. A projected shortfall of R989 million was expected for the 2024/25 financial year. “This crisis was highlighted by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure [DPWI] following the disconnection of several provincial government buildings by Centlec, the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality's electricity provider, in February 2025. This included the Fidel Castro and Oliver Tambo buildings, which house the office of the premier and key provincial departments,” Werner Pretorius, DA Public Accounts spokesperson in the Free State Legislature, said on social media. The DPWI recently revealed an expected in-year budget shortfall of R847 million for municipal services. Through the recent Second Adjustment Budget, R46,6 million…

The University of Pretoria hosted an exclusive media visit in March at its Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort, focusing on food security and the critical role of veterinary services in South Africa. Dr Alfred Kgasi, director of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH), led a walkabout at the facility and shared insights into the challenges facing the veterinary sector. Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Kgasi said the quality of veterinarians trained in South Africa was high, but the shortage of veterinarians, particularly in rural areas, was an ongoing challenge. South Africa's per capita ratio of veterinarians to citizens was well below international standards, he said. Many South Africa-trained veterinarians chose to work abroad, where they received better salaries. “Because we produce such good veterinarians, they end up leaving to work…

The operational needs of a business will determine whether employees need to work on a public holiday or not. Some businesses cannot stand still and need to continue even on public holidays. Whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will also be a public holiday. Payment for the Sunday and Monday must therefore be paid at a public holiday rate. Any public holiday is exchangeable for any other day, provided there is an agreement between the employer and employee. In this case, the remuneration for both days will be at the normal rate. Ensure that this agreement is put in writing as proof that it was reached between the parties. CLAUSE IN EMPLOYEE'S CONTRACT First and foremost, prior to asking an employee to work on a…

Researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, have discovered how plant roots can attract helpful soil microbes, which may reduce the amount of artificial fertiliser they need. The researchers have found a way to enhance the natural relationship between plants and microbes, helping crops absorb nutrients more efficiently. Excessive fertiliser use damages the environment through soil degradation and water pollution via run-off, which causes toxic algal blooms that kill fish and other aquatic life. But in a process called endosymbiosis, certain plants naturally co-operate with micro-organisms to draw nutrients from the soil. However, in modern farming, fertilisers often interfere with this interaction. Under the leadership of molecular biologist Dr Myriam Charpentier, the researchers discovered a mutation in the legume Medicago truncatula that improves the uptake of nitrogen and…