Consumer food price inflation accelerated to 5,9% year-on-year in March 2021 from 5,4% year-on-year in the previous month...
Wandile Sihlobo 3 May 2021
With maize production estimates expected to be adjusted in the coming month with farmers on the ground continuing to express optimism about yield prospects, will likely add downward pressure on maize prices, which bodes well for SA's consumer food price inflation...
Wandile Sihlobo 1 Apr 2021
South Africa's Crop Estimates Committee mildly lifted its forecast for 2020/21 summer grain and oilseeds production from last month by 1% to 18,7 million tonnes...
Wandile Sihlobo 29 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
This despite an overall decline in global food security...
Increased unemployment, increased crime and land reform discussions among other critical factors, must be closely monitored to maintain South Africa's food security...
Wandile Sihlobo 19 Feb 2021
The drivers of the increase in the headline food price inflation in the last quarter of the year were primarily bread and cereals; meat; fish; milk, eggs and cheese; and oils and fats...
Wandile Sihlobo 25 Jan 2021
A year that was - a difficult 2020...
John Hudson 21 Dec 2020
Covid-19 has had a dire effect on global economies. Rising infection rates have led to social distancing directives, persistent lockdowns, the closing of businesses...
Adegboye, Folasade Bosede 19 Aug 2020
It has become increasingly challenging to forecast agricultural production seasons with any level of confidence. One of the factors that has contributed to this challenge is more unpredictable weather conditions, especially over the last decade.
Wandile Sihlobo 31 Jul 2020
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a significant package of social and economic measures to address the fallout from the country's COVID-19 lockdown...
Christopher Webb and Natasha Vally 11 May 2020
The repo rate has been left unchanged at 6.5%...
Issued by Private Property South Africa 22 Nov 2019
South Africa's food price inflation numbers continue to surprise us. The figures recently released by Statistics South Africa show that food price inflation remained unchanged in March 2019 at 2.3% for the third consecutive month...
Wandile Sihlobo 18 Apr 2019
The repurchase rate remains unchanged at 6.75% per year, says Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago...
As I write this article from my home in Bloemfontein, we have recorded only 8mm of rain for December. It feels as though we are back in December 2015 with another drought looming ahead...
Dr Frikkie Maré 8 Jan 2019
With Black Friday in our midst, are South African consumers in a better financial position now compared to 2017?
Lullu Krugel, Christie Viljoen and Maura Feddersen 21 Nov 2018
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has unanimously decided to keep the repurchase rate unchanged at 6.5% per annum...
Total South African retail sales for May 2018 grew by 3% year-on-year excluding the effects of inflation, compared to the 3.1% year-on-year growth recorded in May 2017...
NERPO has, according to reports, come out in favour of expropriation of farmland without compensation. We expect that there are other groups that will do the same over the coming weeks. However...
Kerwin Lebone 19 Jan 2018
The third International Conference on Global Food Security had thought leaders from across the globe gathering to share their views on food security...
Cari Coetzee 30 Nov 2017
An increasing shortage of eggs in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces is expected to expand into other parts of the country, pushing up prices of what is considered to be one of the cheapest forms of protein....
Shaun Gillham 1 Nov 2017
It is important that we continue to find ways to optimise the output of the agricultural sector and guarantee our food security. Our policy interventions need to pay attention to a number of immediate and pressing challenges...
Wessel Lemmer 24 Oct 2017
Taking land without compensation will also have a knock-on effect that is likely to affect those the land reform programme is supposed to benefit the most...
Farm debt is now in the region of R160bn and near an all-time high. Financiers and clients need to approach the coming season with realism and care...
The price of food is rising continually. What does it cost to feed a working class family and how does it impact nutrition?
While consumers are set to benefit from the bumper maize harvest, it does not mean all maize producers will make profits...
While not downplaying the suffering in the afflicted areas, there is at least good news to report on agricultural output elsewhere on the African continent, which should be powerful enough to meaningfully raise economic growth...
Steve Johnson 8 May 2017
The timing of these developments is most unfortunate as there were already clear signs of improved growth prospects in both the agro-food sector and the economy of the country as a whole...
The downgrade of South Africa to sub-investment will have a negative impact on the housing market...
Adrian Goslett 5 Apr 2017
Come harvest time, South African maize farmers are set to have their hands full after planting almost a third more hectares this season...
Massmart, majority owned by WalMart, announced its full-year results for the 52 weeks to December 2016, indicating good margin management and astute expense control...
According to Agbiz CEO Dr John Purchase this year's budget speech, from an agribusiness perspective, comes against the backdrop of high food price inflation, a recent positive upturn in agribusiness confidence, and...
4.9 million people - more than 40 percent of South Sudan's population - are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutrition assistance...
The agricultural sector was considering the adoption of smart disaster aid after sections of the industry were brought to their knees by the prolonged drought...
Asha Speckman 11 Jan 2017
Urban farming is growing popular and necessary to support urban populations. We spoke to RAW's Marlaen Straathof, a seed company who believes that the tiniest patch of earth can be transformed into a vegetable wonderland...
Cari Coetzee 8 Jan 2017
This year could prove to be a tough year for retailers, with real retail sales growth expected to underperform economic growth...
John Loos 5 Jan 2017
Better rainfall leading to a larger harvest is likely to keep the Reserve Bank's repo rate level at 7% during 2017, BMI Research said...
Robert Laing 3 Jan 2017
The outlook for South Africa's residential real estate market over the next 12 months is "mixed", with some areas expected to experience high sales volumes and good price growth while others remain out of favour with buyers and some to even experience real price declines...
Berry Everitt 30 Dec 2016
According to research undertaken for the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) by Christo Luüs of Ecoquant, positive signs for the economy have increased hopes of improving trading conditions in 2017...
The aftermath of one of the worst droughts in over a century has offered embattled farmers little respite. Owing to the planting of crops being delayed...
Frank Winder 15 Aug 2016
Beverley Schäfer recently delivered a speech which focused on the consequences of the drought on the farms in the Western Cape, during which she said it has been a critical year...
There is a high probability of above normal rainfall early in summer which would lead to a good crop season for 2016/17 as South Africa gets closer to a transition into La Niña...
Paul Makube 22 Jul 2016
How can FMCG manufacturers and retailers best walk the tightrope between maintaining profit margins on the one hand and remaining affordable to cash-strapped consumers on the other?...
Massmart CEO Guy Hayward expects SA's drought-driven food price inflation to accelerate further before it starts to slow towards the end of 2016 and into early 2017...
Nicky Smith 30 May 2016
It has never been more important to put measures in place to protect farms against veld fires. Farmers have exhausted most of their resources...
We spoke to Kevin Lovell, CEO of the South African Poultry Association about the state of commerce in the poultry industry...
Cari Van Wyk 26 Apr 2016
The expected increase in the price of bread has been met with concern. We spoke to Amandla.mobi about their campaign against the increase...
Cari Van Wyk 25 Apr 2016
The tourism sector, due to its resilience and increasing foreign arrivals, will not be severely affected by the rising food price inflation which is currently...
The DA will be embarking on a fact-finding mission into the devastating effects of the drought on informal traders and communal farmers...
Henro Kruger 19 Apr 2016
With large falls in maize output on account of El Niño-related drought conditions and increases in maize imports, South Africans can expect continued high food price inflation in the coming months...
Saliem Fakir and Nan Tian 14 Apr 2016