Owners of small shops in South Africa – in most cases foreigners – have been accused of stocking counterfeit food and food that’s past its sell-by date. The issue has been caught up in xenophobic violence, with shop owners targeted by South Africans . There is very little hard data about what’s referred to as “fake food” in both the formal and informal sectors. 

The current heated debate on land reform is fuelled by bold pronouncements about how white-owned land should be secured for African people.

The expected rainfall in the western parts of South Africa did not materialise in many areas this week, and thus the maize and sunflower seed planting activity has not progressed much in this particular region. This, however, is not a major concern for now as optimal planting window will be open until mid-December.

In a world that’s warmed 1°C against pre-industrial levels, bringing wildfires, droughts and heatwaves to vast regions of the planet, South Africa has warmed at twice the global average.

The recent heat wave in the Western Cape that started around 22 October has given way to more temperate temperatures. The full effect of the high temperatures – some areas edging past 40°C – on fruit crops will become clear over the next few weeks, but overall the prospect for the season looks far more favourable than last year.

South African fine wine is gaining momentum as an alternative investment class. Intrinsic wine quality is at an all-time high as the we enter a new era of industry-wide, quality-focused winemaking.

The most appropriate thing to write today, given that I am currently gazing over the beautiful wine farms of Stellenbosch, would indeed be wine. Instead, I will be blogging about good old maize, as I have just received the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report for major grains and oilseeds.

The average lamb class A price during October 2018 was under great pressure, and declined month on month to 73.37/kg. Prices have followed a declining trend since July 2018.

Onion producers in the Koue Bokkeveld region of the Western Cape are in a favourable position to respond to the shortage of onions in Europe, after adequate rain this past season.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has advised farmers that this summer is going to be hotter and drier than usual.

We do not expect the sunflower seed planting process to show good progress this week as soil moisture will not have improved from last week’s levels.

The collapse of Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector from the early 2000s is well documented, and largely attributed to ill-conceived land reform policies.

Winter wheat harvest process is in full swing in the Western Cape, with the progress made thus far reflected on the producer deliveries data which amounted to 250 376 tonnes in the week of 02 November 2018.

South Africa is often referred to as the 30th driest country in the world, a claim that's based on its average annual rainfall of 500mm compared to the world average of 860mm. National rainfall averages have a purpose.

The use of lion parts in commercial trade is one of the major emerging threats to wild lions and could facilitate illegal trade.

A final report on the land reform debate in South Africa is expected to be produced by Parliament come 15 November. However, seeing as the process has been dogged by delays and procedural missteps, South Africans shouldn’t hold their collective breaths. Whatever decision is made is likely to be highly controversial. But this below piece outlines some rational proposals to deal with land reform properly without wrecking the economy. –

South Africa would experience an “imminent socio-economic disaster” if expropriation without compensation (EWC) was pursued, with the anticipated decline in gross domestic product (GDP) possibly leading to a loss of more than 2.28 million jobs, according to an independent economic impact assessment of the proposed policy.

In its Agri Commodities Monthly Report for October, Rabobank noted short-term support for wheat futures worldwide on the basis of tightening global fundamentals. 

As the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai came to an end, attention turns to the South African beef industry – one of the clear winners of increased favourable relations between China and South Africa (SA). 

One should never preannounce the focus of their next column, because one never knows what the next day might hold.