Following a notable recovery to 51 points in quarter three of 2020, the Agbiz/IDC #Agribusiness Confidence Index rose to 61 points in quarter four, which is its highest level since quarter three of 2014.

Twenty-twenty was an exceedingly tough year and agriculture had to adapt to the shifting challenges brought on by Covid-related restrictions on its operations, reduced demand and bottlenecks throughout the value chain from accessing diesel all the way to moving exports products through ports of entry and exit.

At the start of the year, we expressed an optimistic view that South Africa's maize prices (and to an extent soybean and sunflower seed) could begin to soften from around the end of February 2021.

 The latest data in South Africa's agricultural sector reinforce the view that the 2020/21 production season could potentially deliver one of the largest harvests on record

We are likely in another week of positive news for South Africa's agricultural sector.

 In our interactions with various agribusinesses since the start of the year, one issue that consistently comes up, in addition to the usual concerns around land reform policy, is trade. Whether one speaks to beef, wool, fruit or wine producers, increased access to new markets and efficiencies within the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development in this regard is a constant theme.

The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) improved from 61 points in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 64 in the first quarter of 2021.

 This past week, we held a hybrid session with some colleagues and Agbiz members joining us at Pretoria's offices, while others joined online.

 South Africa's agricultural sector is currently in the process of finalising the sector Master Plan. The final consultations with constituencies of various social partners, comprising industry, government, labour and civil society, will soon begin, after which the Master Plan will be signed off. This document will serve as a guide for inclusive growth in the sector.

Suid-Afrikaanse sojaboonprodusente het ’n groot agterstand wat opbrengs betref teenoor lande soos Amerika en Brasilië omdat hulle nie geredelik toegang het tot die jongste kultivars en biotegnologie nie. ’n Statutêre heffing vir die bedryf maak nou ’n groot verskil.

Our recent analysis of South Africa's agricultural production for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 production seasons has largely carried a positive tone.

 We are yet to fully understand the impact and financial cost of the devastation from the recent incidents of unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng in the agricultural sector.

In South Africa, a water-scarce country, groundwater is a vital supply for small towns and commercial farming.

As we have noted previously, South Africa's agricultural sector is export-orientated.

The effectiveness of government policy and programmes depends on the credibility that various role players place on such programmes and the government’s ability to implement them

 Unlike several other countries in the African continent, South Africa has not faced a food shortage in the recent past.

Following a surge to an all-time high of 75 in the second quarter of this year, the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) retracted back to 67 points in the third quarter.

This past week, the national Crop Estimates Committee released its update on South Africa's 2020/21 summer crop production forecasts and the 2021/22 winter crop production.

Die graan-en-oliesaadsektor speel ’n belangrike rol in die groei van die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie. Dit lewer ’n wesenlike bydrae tot vanjaar se uitvoersurplus.

• There is optimism that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is set to provide further opportunities for the expansion of South Africa’s agricultural exports into the African continent.