Christo van der Rheede-  FORMER Executive director of AGRI -SA

The state-owned institution’s financial woes have led farmers and agribusiness to consider making an oer on the bank, starting a cooperative bank or partner with global commodities futures traders Agriculture: 

The agricultural industry is a critical sector of the economy, responsible for the nation’s food security. Apart from global challenges such as climate change, the SA agri-sector is further burdened by the slow pace of transformation and land reform, barriers to entry for black commercial farmers and access to funding.

Food production in South Africa dates to a time when indigenous people began to practice pastoralism, approximately 2 000 years ago.

The energy crisis is bringing farming in South Africa to its knees.

It is beyond dispute that every sector of the South African economy has suffered from the impact of rolling blackouts. But agriculture has suffered disproportionately, with numerous commodities under severe strain.