The Xchange Platform Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo

Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo

Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo
Weekly English South Africa Investing · Food Narrated by Sam Mkokeli, Richard Humpries
123 Episodes
1 – 20

South Africa eases a path for possible maize imports from the US

South Africa’s decision to ease possible maize imports from the U.S. is not necessarily bad. It is a “safety option” in recognition that our white maize supplies are tight. We also face strong demand from broader Southern Africa, whose maize production is down massively because of the drought earlier this…
1 Dec 16 min

The easing agricultural trade friction in SACU is crucial

The Southern African region has experienced agricultural trade friction in the past few years. Namibia and Botswana placed a ban on the imports of South African vegetables and citrus. Simply put, the rationale of both Namibia and Botswana was that the import ban ensures that their domestic producers are not…
24 Nov 12 min

SA's agricultural employment improves

While the 2023-24 mid-summer drought has been the central theme of the downbeat performance of South Africa's agriculture this year, we see a welcome positive change in the jobs data. Statistics South Africa data show that primary agriculture employment improved by 4% from the previous quarter to 935k jobs in…
19 Nov 12 min

Government and industry's efforts to control animal disease spread must be lauded

The past three years have been challenging for South Africa's livestock and poultry industry because of the spread of animal diseases. Throughout this period, we have had various cases of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, African swine fever in pigs, and avian influenza in poultry. While animal disease outbreaks are not…
3 Nov 15 min

SA’s immense responsibility of stabilizing Southern Africa’s food security

South Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness sectors have a broader responsibility for food security beyond our borders. The Southern Africa region leans heavily on South Africa for food supplies. This is clear from the observation of South Africa’s agricultural exports. The country exported about US$13,2 billion of agricultural and processed food…
27 Oct 15 min

South Africa must push agricultural exports within BRICS

South Africa has an export-led agricultural sector, with exports having been a major catalyst in the sector’s growth over the past three decades. But rising geopolitical tensions have introduced new risks, leading to an increased need for the country to diversify its export agricultural markets. In this podcast, we argue…
19 Oct 13 min

In search for optimism in South Africa's agriculture

South Africa's agriculture is showing signs of improving optimism since the start of the Government of the National Unity (GNU), which has fueled confidence levels about the path forward. The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI), a sentiment indicator about business conditions in the sector, has risen from its low levels…
14 Oct 13 min

There is reason to be optimistic about SA's 2024-25 summer crop season

It is perhaps a reasonable choice to remain optimistic about the upcoming 2024-25 summer season in South Africa's agriculture. The global weather forecasters paint encouraging prospects of weather conditions. For example, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University continue…
7 Oct 11 min

What message should SA agriculture take to Kazan for the BRICS+ summit

South Africa's agricultural growth in the first thirty years of the democratic era has been supported, among other things, by two pivotal interventions. The first was a deliberate and concerted strategy to invest in genetics for crops, horticulture, and livestock. The second intervention was a strong push to expand export…
23 Sep 12 min

Will the 2024-25 season be a recovery period for SA agriculture?

By this time next month, the fields across the eastern regions of South Africa will likely be busy. Farmers will be tilling the land for the 2024-25 summer grains and oilseed production season in mid-October. It will be another month before the country's western regions start till the land, from…
16 Sep 12 min

South Africa must deepen agricultural trade with China

It is hard to discuss global agriculture without mentioning China. The country is a dominant player in exports and imports of agricultural products. In 2023, China was a leading agricultural importer, accounting for 11% of global agricultural imports. Trailing China was the US, Germany, Netherlands, the UK, France and Japan…
9 Sep 12 min

Reflections on women's participation in South Africa's agriculture

On various occasions, I have highlighted South Africa's agricultural sector's gains in the first three decades of democracy. The sector has more than doubled in value and volume terms. Better seed varieties in crops, vegetables, and fruits, as well as improved genetics in livestock and poultry, have, among other interventions,…
26 Aug 14 min

SA farm jobs remain well above the long term averages

The effects of the recent El Niño-induced mid-summer drought are starting to show in South Africa's agricultural jobs data. For example, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey data shows that employment in primary agriculture was down 5% quarter-on-quarter to 896k in the second quarter of 2024. From an annual basis perspective,…
19 Aug 11 min

South Africa's wheat crop looks promising from a distance

On August 10, we drove across the Swartland region of the Western Cape from the Karoo side of the Northern Cape. As we entered the Western Cape, I couldn't miss the excellent sight of the wheat fields from a distance. And yes, I appreciate that the Western Cape has received…
13 Aug 12 min

The better global agricultural conditions paint a comforting food price path

South Africa's agriculture is part of the global agricultural market. Therefore, we must consistently pay attention to the production conditions of agricultural commodities globally as they impact our domestic prices and consumers. The world endured elevated food prices in the past few years for various reasons, ranging from drought in…
5 Aug 10 min
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