News highlights of 2019
JANUARY
SUMMER GRAIN WOES
The 2018/2019 summer grain season was described as potentially worse than the conditions experienced during the 2015/2016 drought. Jannie de Villiers, Grain SA CEO, warned that the optimum planting window for the western production region had passed with hardly any soya bean or maize having been planted.
SMALLER STONE FRUIT HARVEST
Wiehahn Victor, CEO of the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association, predicted a smaller than expected overall stone fruit harvest, as trees were still under stress due to the drought in the Western Cape over the previous three years. The smaller harvest had also negatively affected factory operations and thus farmers’ finances.
33% DECLINE IN FARM ATTACKS
TAU SA was critised for announcing that there had been a 33% decline in farm attacks during 2018. According to assistant general manager Chris van Zyl, the organisation was bound by a specific definition of a farm attack. “Not all land that people [regard] as farms qualifies as agricultural land,” he said.
FEBRUARY
NEGATIVE MARKET REACTION TO FMD OUTBREAK
A sudden drop in livestock prices following a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak was reported by major livestock auctioneers. But according to the managing director of Vleissentraal, Anton Vos, some of the biggest declines had been noted in areas that were far away from where the outbreak had occurred. Analysts ascribed this to a seasonal decline in weaner prices following the festive season and a recent fuel price increase.
FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL
In some parts of South Africa, the impact of the drought deteriorated beyond the point of being critical. Willem Symington, a farmer in the Williston district in the Northern Cape, said farmers were taking drastic measures
