With Dr. Johnny van der Merwe on grains

--:--

I was on a call with Dr Johnny can der Merwe, an agricultural economist at North West University discussing the grain markets, and we decided to record the chart and release the audio here.

Broadly, we are both optimistic about South Africa’s 2022/23 grain and oilseed production conditions, and see prices softening towards mid-year.

13 Feb 2023 English South Africa Investing · Food Wandile Sihlobo

Other recent episodes

South Africa's agricultural export growth cooled off in the second quarter of 2024

After the sharp increase in the first quarter of 2024, South Africa's agricultural exports fell slightly on a year-on-year (y/y) basis in the second quarter. According to data from Trade Map, the country's agricultural exports were at US$3.37bn in the second quarter, a 0,1% decline relative to the same period…

2 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

All episodes