Innholdsfortegnelse for 13 June 2025 i Farmer's Weekly

On 21 May, US President Donald Trump met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office in a now infamous encounter that was televised around the world. Ramaphosa was accompanied by South African billionaire Johann Rupert, internationally acclaimed South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and ministers Ronald Lamola, John Steenhuisen, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, and Parks Tau. During the meeting, Trump asked his staff to dim the lights, while a television set was rolled into the room. For around five minutes, Trump played a clip of Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, singing the inflammatory ‘Kill the Boer’ song, and showed the White Cross Memorial and other white crosses that commemorate farmers and their families who have been killed in farm attacks and murders. Since Trump and South…

In recent years, a false narrative has been peddled, particularly in international media and political discourse, that white South African farmers are being subjected to a coordinated genocide. This claim, lacking credible evidence, has been thoroughly discredited by various human rights organisations, government institutions, and academic researchers. A 2018 analysis by South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies found no statistical basis for the genocide claim, noting instead that farm attacks affect South Africans of all races, and are driven more by socio-economic factors and organised criminal activity than racial targeting. Recently, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu reiterated that farm attacks, though deeply concerning, reflect broader crime trends and do not support claims of racially motivated extermination. Misrepresentation of the South African farming context harms the very progress needed in the sector.…

A sober look at municipal problems is being undertaken by the Department of Co-operative Governance (DCoG), which could lead to the critical improvements needed in service delivery over the long term. The 1998 White Paper on Local Government (WPLG) is in a revision process, with a revised draft expected to be published in March 2026. In March this year, the DCoG published a discussion document, which allowed for comments until 30 June 2025. The discussion document has posed key questions that the revision process should address and does not gloss over ongoing issues within municipalities. It listed the key issues as a breakdown in finance, governance and service delivery; high and growing debt; instability in councils; and deterioration of and lack of maintenance of infrastructure assets. “The top service delivery…

Research from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg shows that puff adders (Bitis arietans) could play a vital part in the control of rodents that threaten agricultural production on the continent. According to an article published in Scientific Reports in May, puff adders can eat 12 times their normal amount of food when there is a surge in the rodent population, making them far more effective than traditional mammalian predators and a valuable natural solution for rodent pest control. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Johan Marais, head of the African Snakebite Institute, said all snakes that preyed on rodents, including mole snakes (Pseudaspis cana), brown house snakes (Boaedon capensis) and cobras (Naja spp.), should be considered as friends of farmers. According to him, no other predator was as efficient in…

Bee-Tech Group, in partnership with Woolworths and Graaff Fruit, has launched a new trial using bees to fight apple core rot in red apples in Ceres in the Western Cape. The project is aimed at reducing fungal infections in apples by using bees to deliver biological products directly to flowers during pollination. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Michael Bruggeman, founder of Bee-Tech Group, said the patented bee vectoring device was first developed with the help of Rhodes University, and later refined by Bee-Tech’s head of research Jamie Harris and the Bee-Tech team. “We worked on it for about three to four years, testing different versions. The initial trials were done on blueberries and strawberries using beneficial fungi like Metarhizium and Trichoderma,” he said. Bruggeman added that the current trial focused on…

UNITED KINGDOM Fresh Produce Journal has reported that British supermarket chain Waitrose has seen a rush in demand for British-grown food, driven by the popularity of farming shows like Clarkson’s Farm and Jimmy ands Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast. Year-on-year sales of home-grown produce have surged, with British strawberries up 151%, Jersey Royal apples rising by 89%, and Cox apples increasing by 52%. Jake Pickering, head of agriculture, aquaculture, and fisheries at Waitrose & Partners, said: “Farming shows are doing more than just entertaining us; they’re making the public stop and think about British farming.” UNITED STATES Despite winning around 78% of the votes in the US’s most farming-dependent counties last year, President Donald Trump’s recent policies have left many producers struggling. Steep tariffs, harsh immigration measures, and the cancellation of key…

Strategies for unlocking agritourism value were highlighted at the South Africa Wine Summit, held recently in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. Melanie Leloup, South Africa Tourism’s trade relations manager for the domestic market, said tourists were looking for a full holiday experience with a variety of activities. She therefore encouraged wine estates to collaborate to create package deals that also helped to grow overnight stays. She explained how the South African tourism initiative Sho’t Left connected travellers through a platform that listed accommodation, experiences, and tourism products. She added that wine estates could take advantage of the campaign by registering and creating deals on the Sho’t Left Partner Platform. Leloup also said that while overseas visitors created a unique opportunity to develop brand affiliation internationally, the value of domestic visitors…

The Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA) is being repositioned to lead an agricultural commercialisation strategy aimed at unlocking the economic potential of the province’s highly fertile land. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, ECRDA CEO Simpiwe Somdyala said it was time to confront the paradox of vast fertile land coexisting with some of the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. “Despite being blessed with some of South Africa’s most arable land, our agricultural potential remains largely dormant; an untapped wellspring of prosperity waiting to be unleashed,” Somdyala said. He added that for decades, farming in rural parts of the province had largely been synonymous with subsistence, a system that has locked many families into cycles of poverty. The repurposed ECRDA now carried a clear mandate to lead the shift…

Trumponomics is becoming a buzzword. We do indeed live in interesting times and since his election, US President Donald Trump has made some shocking announcements. This began with increased tariffs on imports from China and Canada in February, and the real shocker came with the 2 April announcement of huge tariffs on imports from various countries – including a 30% tariff on South African exports to the US. A recent article in Harvard Business Review points out that while the US engages in a tariff war on all other countries, individual countries only have to contend with higher tariffs from the US. Therefore, the US is at a huge disadvantage. NOT TOO GLOOMY FOR SA FARMERS Market reactions suggests increased tariffication is probably not the correct way to ‘make America…

Researchers from MIT in the US and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology have found a new way to extend the shelf life of fresh produce after harvest. This is a crucial development, because over 30% of the world’s food – enough to feed more than one billion people – is wasted after harvest. Refrigeration is the main way to keep food fresh, but many regions, especially in Africa and Asia, lack the energy or infrastructure for it. To solve this issue, the researchers used patches of biodegradable silk microneedles to inject melatonin directly into bok choy, a leafy vegetable that spoils quickly. Melatonin is a natural hormone in many plants that helps them regulate growth and ageing. The needles gently pierce the plant’s skin without damaging it, delivering…

Dear Prof McCrindle, Several farm cats live close to our dairy. They are semi-feral, but we put down milk for them to drink whenever we milk the cows. It’s good to have them around because they keep the rats away. Recently, I noticed that the kittens had disappeared, and yesterday one of our older tomcats looked sick. He was vomiting and looked very weak. The state veterinarian said we should always vaccinate the adult cats against rabies, and we do that every year. But this disease is not rabies. What could it be? Dairy Farmer, Gauteng Dear Dairy Farmer, There is a highly infectious and fatal viral disease of cats called panleukopaenia. It is caused by the feline parvovirus and is commonly found in semi-wild or feral cats that have…

The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer’s Weekly. “Agriculture remains one of South Africa’s most vital sectors. It feeds the nation, fuels rural economies and provides millions of livelihoods across the value chain, from smallholder farmers to large agribusinesses. But the events of the past few years have reinforced a hard truth: the sector cannot rely on resilience alone. It needs deliberate innovation, strong partnerships and energy reliability to secure a sustainable and competitive future. South African farmers today are contending with a range of pressures: climate volatility, input cost inflation, energy instability and tightening margins. Unseasonal droughts and floods, driven by a changing climate, have hit yields and disrupted planting cycles. Meanwhile, the ripple effects of global supply chain disruptions, geopolitical…

South Africans are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, and new data shows they have less purchasing power than they did in 2016. This was according to Shené Mothilal, Solution Owner: Personalisation, Digital Money Manager at Standard Bank, in an interview with BusinessTech. DebtBusters’ Debt Index for the first quarter of 2025 showed that debt levels were climbing, as consumers were increasingly relying on personal loans to bridge the gaps between income and expenses. Despite increased consumer confidence, record numbers were using personal and one-month loans as lifelines. Nine out of 10 debt counselling applicants had personal loans, and debt-to-income ratios for top earners were at the highest levels yet, according to the index. BusinessTech said that data from Standard Bank showed that even the traditionally busy March/April travel season failed to…

Maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be above normal for most parts of South Africa until September. However, parts of the southern coastal areas can expect below-normal temperatures. This was according to Cobus Olivier, a prediction research scientist at the South African Weather Service. In a statement, he said below-normal rainfall was anticipated during early, mid and late winter over most parts of the country, including the south-western parts. “These conditions, coupled with the expected above-normal temperatures, are likely to result in lower water levels through evapotranspiration processes in areas that are experiencing prolonged dry conditions, including the south-western parts of the country,” Olivier added. Although below-normal rainfall was predicted for most parts of the country during early, mid and late winter, above-normal rainfall was expected in some parts…

In 2024, South African soya bean farmers battled an aggressive resurgence of Cercospora kikuchii, a fungus that caused three crop diseases: Cercospora leaf blight, purple seed stain, and pod and stem blight. Dr Godfrey Kgatle, research coordinator at Grain SA, said the fungus, widespread across all production regions in the country, proved especially damaging due to its ability to survive in infected seed, and resurface in the next planting season. RISK OF USING UNTREATED SEED Kgatle added that the most severe yield losses were recorded among farmers who used seed from a previous crop that was infected or planted untreated or poor-quality seed. These practices increased the risk of disease transmission and encouraged fungal build-up in the field. “Farmers who do not use certified or treated seed are the most…

Despite South Africa’s 366-year wine heritage, wine sales have only been deregulated in the past 30 years, making South African a rather new player on the highly competitive international wine market. This was according to Rico Basson, CEO of South Africa Wine, who spoke at the South Africa Wine Summit held recently in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. He reminded delegates that it takes 30 to 50 years to build a new wine brand from scratch, requiring focus and avoiding distractions. He mentioned The Chocolate Block and Rupert & Rothschild as two brands that had accomplished this so far. According to Basson, the industry’s future lay in producing high-quality wine and not just higher quantities of wine. “We have seen wineries shifting from bulk production to creating their own brands with a…

Eastern Cape MEC for Agriculture Nonceba Kontsiwe recently visited the Tsitsikamma community to hand over critical farming supplies as part of the department’s ongoing drive to improve food security and support emerging farmers. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Kontsiwe said the supplies, which included fertiliser, gardening tools, seedlings, seeds, and animal feed, were aimed at helping the communal farmers cultivate their land and expand livestock production. She added that the intervention formed part of the department’s broader strategy to accelerate service delivery in rural areas and strengthen local food systems. It was delivered under the Ilima Lokulima Community Food Production Scheme, a long-term initiative that will run from 2025 to 2030. “Food prices continue to increase, and consumers might not be able to keep up with inflation. “As the department, we…

Who or what is AFMA? AFMA is the official representative body for the animal feed sector. We position and align ourselves with the industry by creating an enabling business environment that will benefit our members. We act as the critical link between crop production and the food chain, ensuring ‘Safe Feed for Safe Food’ through collaboration, compliance, and strategic leadership. Who are your members? By connecting manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers, we bring the animal feed industry together. At present we have 64 full members, 80 associate members, and 20 affiliate members. Full members comprise core feed manufacturers. These members form the heart of the industry, producing balanced animal feeds that nourish the nation’s livestock and poultry. Associate members provide the essential components, such as raw materials, speciality ingredients, as…

World of Guinness by Rory Guinness (Scala, R445) Rory Guinness is indeed a member of the internationally renowned brewing family. The last Guinness ship was named after his mother, Miranda, but Rory reports that she was stung by being referred to as ‘a bulk liquid beer carrier’. Founder Arthur Guinness quickly made the family fortune after shrewdly using his £100 legacy from an archbishop in 1749 to buy a 9 000-year lease on a broken-down brewery. About 50 years later, Guinness had an established export market and was even being shipped to sub-Saharan Africa. In the 1960s, Nigeria became the first African country to get a Guinness brewery. Today, Africa is Guinness’s largest market globally. Rory engagingly shares the brewery’s growth, technological advances, and family honours. At just 96 pages, the…

This article looked at a young man who gave up his job to help his father produce export-quality grapes. It must be quite a decision for any man – especially one with sound training in his chosen vocation – to pack up his job and go into grape farming in [Gauteng], many miles away from the traditional grape-growing areas of the Cape. This was the choice young Paul van Rensburg made when his father, Paul Sr, gave him the option of becoming a grape farmer rather than remain a lithographer. “I had already qualified as a tradesman when my father came up with the proposition of coming back to the farm and preparing myself to eventually take over the complete operation,” says Van Rensburg Jr. GOING BACK TO GRAPES Van…

Farmers are further along in their environmental and social efforts than they are often given credit for. However, the lack of measurement and reporting on their part, combined with primitive frameworks from retailers, has led to a skewed perception. This was according to Corné Louw, senior economist at Grain SA. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, he said that if one analysed farming practices focused on sustainability, it was clear that farmers were already mostly doing what needed to be done. He was commenting on the Climate Change Act (No. 22 of 2024) and how far farmers had progressed with compliance now that there were fixed goals for the sector. “There isn’t that much more that farmers now need to start doing. Every farmer I know is working towards sustainability to keep…

The rise in food inflation in South Africa was a cause for concern, according to Agbiz. This followed an announcement in May that consumer food price inflation increased to 3,3% in April from 2,2% in March. According to a report by Trading Economics, the cost of food in South Africa increased by 4% year-on-year in April 2025. Food inflation averaged 6,39% from 2009 until 2025, reaching an all-time high of 15,6% in February 2009 and a record low of 0,6% in June 2010. Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, said in a statement that the increase was underpinned by the rise in price inflation of most of the products in the food basket, but most notably of grain products, meat, fats, oils and vegetables. “This is unsurprising and reflects the…

One year after widespread protests, Europe’s farmers remain under pressure from rising costs, stagnant incomes, and policy uncertainty. More than 50% of them are doubtful about the future, and many are ready to mobilise again. However, according to Euronews.com, a new survey by multinational market research and consulting firm Ipsos, titled ‘Farmers Horizon 2025’, points to a way forward. That is, if EU policymakers actually act. Top of farmers’ demands is economic support: 82% are calling for fairer profit distribution, subsidies, and easier access to loans. In addition, 57% want less red tape, while 33% are seeking improved access to crop protection tools and innovation, especially digital technologies. Adoption of these tools remains low because of high costs, and a lack of transitional support. Climate-related challenges, from droughts to unseasonal…

South African wine producers face significant market risks, according to speakers at the South Africa Wine Summit held recently in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. Nikki Weimar, Nedbank’s chief economist, highlighted the challenges posed by political uncertainty, legislative red tape, electricity supply issues, and logistical problems, exacerbated by an ‘extremely turbulent’ global economic environment, due to US President Donald Trump’s policies, which were resulting in trade disruptions. Weimar said that, in response to the turmoil, the International Monetary Fund had adjusted economic growth forecasts for 2025 down by 5 points, to 2,8% for the global economy, 1,4% for advanced economies, and 3,7% for emerging economies. The US’s outlook has been adjusted down by 0,9 points to 1,8%, China’s by 0,6 points to 4%, the Eurozone by 0,2 points to 0,8%, and the…

Wineries should use data technologies, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen marketing. This was the message from Joanna Dabrowska, founder of Wine World Wonders, at the South Africa Wine Summit recently held in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. Dabrowska highlighted various innovations transforming the industry, such as robotics for precision tasks like weeding and spraying, remote sensing for enhanced vineyard management, digital twins for experiment evaluations, QR codes for digital storytelling and social media, blockchain for wine authentication and agentic AI for customer service support. She predicted that AI would become increasingly important in direct-to-consumer engagements and digital marketing. To illustrate, she showed how she used an AI platform to turn one of her web stories into a cartoon that made the story accessible to a larger audience, as well…

From early April to mid-May, fluctuations in supply volumes across key vegetable categories have directly impacted price trends, highlighting the sensitivity of fresh produce markets to production dynamics. CABBAGES From the first week of April until the first week of May, market volumes remained limited compared with the same period last year, resulting in fluctuating price trends. However, in the week ending 9 May, cabbage volumes recovered to levels last seen at the end of March. Month-on-month (m/m), average prices dropped sharply by 36,8% (see Graph 1), falling from R4 777/t to R3 018/t, driven by a 13,6% rise in average volumes. Year-on-year (y/y), average prices decreased by 19% (see Graph 2) due to a 223,6% increase in volumes supplied. Despite this short-term recovery, cabbage volumes remain historically low, after…

FAST FACTS The formulation of animal feed is regulated by the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act. All forms of animal feed are the result of a carefully crafted process designed to meet the nutritional needs of animals. Nutrient levels, digestibility, and palatability all play a crucial role in animal feed manufacturing. The quality of livestock feed significantly influences the overall health of animals. High-quality feed should therefore include a balanced mix of nutrients from highly digestible ingredients while also being safe to consume. It should support optimal growth and physiological functioning, reproduction, and overall health. In contrast, poor-quality feed can lead to nutrient deficiencies and introduce harmful contaminants like pathogens, mycotoxins, toxins, and chemical residues that can negatively impact livestock. Preventing and controlling feed-borne pathogens is…

There’s no doubt that the people behind plant names are a wildly creative bunch. From the weird to the wonderful, common plant names capture the imaginations of gardeners around the world and inspire them to grow all sorts of oddball specimens. In South Africa, we’re no different, proudly showing off our ‘poor man’s orchids’ and ‘bird of paradise’ flowers to our braai guests. If you’re thinking of adding a quirky touch to your garden, what follows are a few examples and how to grow them. MICKEY MOUSE BUSH This attractive and hardy Southern African bush displays profuse, bright-yellow flowers in spring. Its playful common name comes from the fruit – shiny black berries dangling beneath red sepals are said to resemble Mickey Mouse’s face. The flowers attract bees and butterflies…