The agricultural sector - particularly in Africa - bears the historical paradox of having significant economic potential on the one hand and lacking the required agility and innovation to harness its resources for notable global competitiveness on the other...
Ishmael Sunga 3 days ago
There is an overall increase in area and production under horticultural crops this season, with the area under emerging crops such as blueberries increasing across the provinces...
Elita Chikwati 7 May 2021
African countries continue to trade more with the outside world than among themselves, according to findings of the UN Economic Commission for Africa assessment report...
Government support for farmers, higher rainfall and grain imports have helped sub-Saharan Africa stave off food insecurity, but the region isn't out of the woods yet...
Wandile Sihlobo 7 May 2021
FAO Food Price Index posts 11th consecutive monthly increase, new forecasts point to growth in world wheat and maize output...
African airlines' cargo demand in March increased by 24.6% compared to the same month in 2019...
Fuel prices eased for the first time in 2021 on the back of a 2% decrease in international Brent crude oil prices and the rand strengthening by 3% in April relative to the previous month...
Paul Makube 5 May 2021
As much as finding new ways to do business will play a key role in South Africa's economic turnaround strategy, for the country to emerge from the years-long slump exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic it will need to further invest in its cornerstone industries...
The importance of raw cocoa beans to Ghana's foreign exchange earnings is derailing the development of a viable chocolate industry...
Sophie Van Huellen 3 May 2021
South Africa recorded its largest trade surplus on record in March, data showed on Friday, with sales of commodities and minerals rising sharply as global demand driven by the economic recovery from the coronavirus continued...
Mfuneko Toyana 3 May 2021
The production of major types of citrus fruits, except that of lemons and limes, grew in 2020 thanks to good weather conditions in most producing regions...
Zimbabwe is one of the African countries that hopes renewable energy technologies will help to address their energy problems...
Ellen Fungisai Chipango 30 Apr 2021
Exxaro Resources chief executive, Mxolisi Mgojo, announced in February that his company will join a growing list of international miners divesting from thermal coal assets....
Farming hygiene practices can help protect agricultural value chain
"Between 45 and 50% of South Africa's avocados are exported; 10 to 12% are processed into oil and guacamole, and the rest are sold locally. About 95% of South African avocado exports are to Europe, the United Kingdom, and Russia."
Kutay Saritosun is a textile engineer and sustainability aficionado dedicated to educating companies on producing more environmentally responsible products...
Lauren Hartzenberg 23 Apr 2021
South Africa's agricultural sector was one of the only shining stars in the economy in 2020, escaping the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic relatively unscathed...
Increased agricultural trade between African countries can drive sustainable development and play a pivotal role in the transformation of our food systems...
As much as South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the need for South Africans to "buy local" to boost the country's ailing economy, exports remain crucial to the government's turnaround strategy...
Muhammad Ali 14 Apr 2021
According to a new report published by IndexBox, coffee yield figures remained robust in 2020 and coffee bean exports increased, despite the disruption to supply chains caused by the coronavirus restrictions...
When the Ever Given container ship choked off traffic in the Suez Canal for almost a week in late March 2021, it made headlines around the world...
Nada R. Sanders 12 Apr 2021
Government's renewed vigour to eliminate illegal tobacco imports and exports will be demonstrated on Friday when a multi-department operation will see 12 million cigarettes being destroyed...
Nestlé has launched a plant-based meal solutions manufacturing facility in Malaysia, the first in Asean and one of only two in Asia...
The recent developments from a fuel perspective indicate that the determinants of fuel prices have all trended on the upside with Brent crude oil prices rising by 6.7% m/m in April 2021 to average US$64/ barrel...
Paul Makube 8 Apr 2021
Vegetable oils drive FAO's Food Price Index higher in March while cereal quotations dip...
Before you're able to take the plunge into international markets, you'll need to work with the government to ensure your product is ready and your paperwork is compliant...
Jessie Taylor, Issued by Topco Media 1 Apr 2021
As we approach the one-year 'anniversary' of that first day of South Africa's hard lockdown, it's a good time to look back at these challenges, writes Heineken SA MD Gerrit van Loo...
Gerrit van Loo, Issued by Heineken South Africa 29 Mar 2021
The month of February was the 18th consecutive month in which the Ctrack Freight Transport Index showed a decline. Like January, the February year-on-year decline was marginal, although greater than that of January...
The right kind of insurance is vital in ensuring export market success. Here, Jason Mellow, Head of MiWay Business Insurance shares five tips to consider when choosing the best cover...
Jason Mellow 29 Mar 2021
Disputes over the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have dominated the week, just as they have at various points over the past few months...
Rob Reddick 29 Mar 2021
There was a dramatic increase in patented table grape varieties from 27% in 2014 to 52% in 2020...
India has stepped up its global ambitions and foreign policy re-engagement with African countries in recent years. Its bilateral trade increased from $7.bn in 2001 to $63bn in 2017/18...
Dan Banik & Renu Modik 26 Mar 2021
The expected increase in agricultural output will require export markets, as South Africa's agricultural sector is export-orientated...
The Next21 virtual trade exhibition will see 23 small South African craft and design brands have their creations showcased to a global audience of importers, retailers and decorators...
The increase in domestic agricultural output in the recent past and planned expansion in various subsectors in the coming years means that South African policymakers should focus on creating new opportunities in the export market...
Wandile Sihlobo 19 Mar 2021
One year after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, CEOs are voicing record levels of optimism in the global economic recovery, with 76% of global business leaders predicting that economic growth will improve in 2021...
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 is the highest level of the Agbiz/IDC ACI since the second quarter of 2014...
Ian Perry from Durban-based furniture manufacturer Homewood won in the Established Manufacturers category of the National Furniture Design Competition...
Large-scale droughts can have cascading impacts on food security. They can reduce yield, increase food prices, trigger changes in consumption and lead to unstable supply...
Friederike Otto and Jasper Verschuur 16 Mar 2021
South Africa's economic recovery relies to a large extent on creating a more enabling business environment and putting the right structural economic reforms in place.
Ian van Niekerk 16 Mar 2021
In 2020 alone, amidst a pandemic, South Africa exported US$10,2bn worth of agricultural products, the second largest on record. One market that has consistently been important to South Africa is the African continent, which on average, accounts for 40% of South Africa's agricultural exports...
Wandile Sihlobo 12 Mar 2021
Indigenous beans could enhance food security in Cabo Verde which depends on food imports...
Anyse Sofia Fernandes Pereira Essoh 11 Mar 2021
The lack of certainty around constant power supply has had and continues to have a massive impact on the agricultural sector...
The GDP print for the fourth quarter of 2020 has come in better than expected, seeing markets respond positively in terms of rand strength and bond yields...
Maarten Ackerman 11 Mar 2021
The strong fourth-quarter agriculture outcome was underpinned by increased production of animal products which account for over 50% of the country's agriculture gross producer value...
Paul Makube 9 Mar 2021
The Chemical Industry Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) will be funding two South African universities with R1,647,500 this year, supporting research...
Local clothing manufacturing businesses across Cape Town are launching an online development programme that is being supported with funding from the City of Cape Town...
Recognising individuals and organisations making a tangible impact on sustainability and the circular economy, the Petco Awards winners have been announced...
The early estimate for 2021's wheat output is positive but 45 countries are in need of external assistance for food...