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
A study of the impact of a major bridge over the Zambezi River in Mozambique provides insights into the magnitude of the economic impact new infrastructure investments can have...
Sam Jones 9 Mar 2021
The early estimate for 2021's wheat output is positive but 45 countries are in need of external assistance for food...
South Africa's quest to retool its poultry industry depends on increased soybean availability, a crucial ingredient in poultry feed manufacture...
Wandile Sihlobo 12 Feb 2021
As African economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, governments should explore technologies like global positioning systems and blockchain for use in the registration of land rights...
Michael Aliber and Wandile Sihlobo 15 Dec 2020
In the midst of an unprecedented economic and health crisis one sector in our economy has outshone the rest. The agricultural sector expanded by almost 28% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2019 and 15.1% in the second quarter.
African farm groups demand answers of Green Revolution Forum...
Timothy A. Wise 9 Sep 2020
In the period between 2015 and 2019, Zimbabwe's maize imports averaged 17% of overall agricultural imports which were valued at US$795m, according to data from Trade Map. But last Zimbabwean government made an important statement aiming to boost its maize production...
Wandile Sihlobo 7 Sep 2020
Low productivity is one of the biggest challenges facing Uganda's maize industry. But smallholder farmers still won't adopt improved seed.
HyeJin Lee 3 Sep 2020
The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has brought significant uncertainty to global trade, largely due to disruptions in supply chains and weakening demand...
Casey Delport 29 Jun 2020
South Africa's 2019/20 fourth summer crop production estimates data recently released by the Crop Estimates Committee did not introduce major adjustments from the previous estimates...
Canada, Brazil, the US and Ireland continue to report closures of meat-processing plants because of Covid-19 infections. This essentially means that if the disruptions in various meat plants persist for some time and spill over into the global market, SA would not be spared from the price impact, particularly on poultry products...
Casey Delport 14 May 2020
FAO expects subdued usage to push up cereal stocks in 2019/20 and FAO's first forecast for wheat markets in 2020/21 points to continued growth in inventories...
Maize farmers who aim to practise no-tillage or conservation agriculture on their farms will benefit from considerably higher yields during dry seasons...
Engela Duvenage 4 May 2020
The maize information guide is a mobile application which comprises a current collection of scientifically proven data on maize production, insect identification and disease management; weed and nematodes control.
Due to the prolonged drought and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, millions in that country face an increasingly desperate situation, according to the United Nations World Food Programme...
A recent report from the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative indicates a high probability of below-normal rainfall in Southern Africa between December 2019 and February 2020...
Wandile Sihlobo 6 Dec 2019
Maize meal is the most widely grown crop in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent's production and 0.3% of global maize production in 2017...
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, averaged 169.8 points in August 2019, down 1.1% from July while still up 1.1% from its August 2018 level...
This bodes well for the livestock sector as lower maize prices, a major input in animal feed, improves feeding margins in intensive production systems such as poultry, pork and feedlots...
Paul Makube 28 Aug 2019
The revised area and sixth production forecast and summer crop estimate was recently released by the Crop Estimates Committee...
Understanding the political economy around maize production puts into context debates on key interventions in the value chain...
Timothy Njagi Njeru 22 Jul 2019
"We need to promote a transformative change in the way that we produce and consume food. We need to put forward sustainable food systems that offer healthy and nutritious food, and also preserve the environment. Agroecology can offer several contributions to this process."
Timothy A. Wise 11 Jul 2019
Persisting conflicts and dry weather conditions remain the primary causes of high levels of severe food insecurity, hampering food availability and access for millions of people...
Governments need to think about global ways agricultural policies may affect the stability of the food system as a whole, beyond locally focused efforts to increase resilience in production...
Zia Mehrabi and Navin Ramankutty 2 May 2019
The maize output and price are major drivers of food prices as maize is also used as a major ingredient in animal feed. Therefore, given concerns that maize supplies could be limited for the 2018/19 production season...
Gilberto Biacuana and Tebogo Mashabela 28 Apr 2019
The March 2019 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report by the United States Department of Agriculture has provided further evidence that the world will have fairly large maize, soybean, and rice supplies in the 2018/19 season. Meanwhile, wheat production...
Wandile Sihlobo 1 Apr 2019
As expected, the latest Crop Estimates Committee's (CEC) production estimate report showed an upward revision to the February estimate for maize to 10.56 million tonnes...
Paul Makube 27 Mar 2019
Agbiz head of agribusiness research, Wandile Sihlobo compares South Africa's maize yields to a second biggest producer in sub-Saharan Africa - Nigeria...
Wandile Sihlobo 7 Feb 2019
There are growing concerns that the current dry weather conditions in most parts of South Africa could lead to a lower maize harvest in the 2018/19 production season...
Wandile Sihlobo 20 Dec 2018
The Food and Agriculture Organisation's Food Price Index, an indicator of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, is now at its lowest level since May 2016...
A recently published research paper by agricultural economists Jan Greyling and Philip Pardey in the Agrekon Journal brings home some key points about South Africa's maize production in terms of commercial and smallholder share contribution...
Wandile Sihlobo 3 Dec 2018
The annual Agri SA Congress recently took place at the Maslow at Time Square in Menlyn, Pretoria. While day one of the congress focused on land reform issues, on day two the spotlight fell on the success stories of transformation in the agricultural industry...
Ursula Human 12 Oct 2018
The United States Department of Agriculture has just released its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which covers most major grains and oilseeds estimates for the 2018/19 production season...
Wandile Sihlobo 13 Aug 2018
It is expected that global cereal grains consumption will grow to 3.0 million tonnes by 2025. In the medium term, consumption of cereal grains will grow at a slow rate, mainly due to increased demand for cereal grains in Asian and African countries.
Various tactics - both old and new - are being tested to try and control the Fall armyworm in Africa. These include the use of inter-cropping technology, natural enemies, early warning systems and use of biopesticides...
Saliou Niassy, Sevgan Subramanian 10 May 2018
April saw the FAO Food Price Index remain steady. Sugar prices continued to decline while prices for cereals and dairy products continued to rise...
Tanzania - A new maize variety is expected to combat food scarcity in Geita where pests and drought ravage crops...
Elias Msuya 12 Apr 2018
FAO has launched the Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning System mobile app, which provides valuable insights on its behaviour in Africa and guide best response...
The crop estimates committee said that producers would harvest about 12.2 million tonnes of maize in 2018, which represents a 27% decrease from the season just passed...
Andries Mahlangu 28 Feb 2018
Crop development in several areas of Southern Africa has been affected by water stress triggered by poor rains and hot temperatures. Dry weather and erratic rains earlier in the season signals multiple risks to agricultural yields...
FAO has launched a comprehensive guide on the integrated pest management of Fall armyworm (FAW) on maize to help farmers, particularly smallholder farmers, in Africa faced with the relentless spread of the pest...
Experts expect the Fall armyworm to spread across South Africa, with the possible exception of the Western Cape. FAW infestations have been detected throughout Limpopo Province's five districts, parts of Mpumalanga as well as the Eastern Cape...
"According to the data that was collected from pheromone traps on the number of Fall armyworm (FAW) moths, FAW is still around and as soon as the host plants are available the moths will start producing egg masses on the plant leaves..."
Nuusita Ashipala 8 Feb 2018
Following a better-than-expected harvest, the 2017/2018 marketing season should end with record inventory levels for wheat and maize...
"There are roughly 35 million hectares of maize planted per year in Africa and if (the worm is) not in all those maize fields now, it will be very soon..."
Thin Lei Win 29 Jan 2018
Entering 2018 will require some slight adjustments due to changes that took place along the way, both politically, economically and in the agricultural environment...
The country is staring at a food shortage following declined maize and wheat production in the North Rift region - the country's grain basket - this season, caused by disease outbreaks and erratic weather...
Barnabas Bii and Stanley Kimuge 5 Jan 2018
The Agriculture Sector Education Training Authority, AgriSeta, has granted online agriculture education platform, AgriColleges international, accreditation as an education and training provider in agriculture...