January
HIGH RAINFALL DAMAGES GRAIN CROP
Approximately 20% of grain producers in South Africa lost more than 60% of their white maize plantings to water damage in January. This followed excessive rainfall in the summer rainfall region that began at the end of November 2021. Roughly 15% of yellow maize, 13% of soya bean and 17% of sunflower that had been planted by that stage were also destroyed.
MINIMUM WAGE OPPORTUNITIES
Agri SA called on the National Minimum Wage Commission to consider the implementation of a diversified wage structure. The organisation said this would create significantly more scope for employment in the agriculture sector by developing opportunities to hire inexperienced workers at a lower rate.
SA ACCUSED OF 'DUMPING'
US citrus juice manufacturer Ventura Coastal filed a petition with that country's trade authorities requesting that antidumping duties be imposed on lemon juice from South Africa and Brazil. The company claimed that lemon juice was being sold in the US market for “less than a fair value“ and suggested a 128% ”protectionist tariff” on imports from South Africa.
LOGISTICAL WOES FOR BLUEBERRY SECTOR
The global blueberry industry was suffering due to ongoing logistical challenges, as a lack of shipping containers continued to plague exports. This resulted in widespread quality challenges as most shipments arrived late, with a transit time of five weeks in some cases. The situation was exacerbated by problems at the Port of Cape Town, where power outages left containers without electricity for refrigeration for over 24 hours.
February
SMALLER PORK PRODUCERS THREATENED
Despite increased demand for pork in South Africa, farmers were struggling financially due to high production costs. Smaller producers were unable to take advantage of economies of scale when it came to buying inputs in bulk. Higher prices were not the answer, as consumer spending was already under pressure, the South African Pork Producers' Organisation said.
SERVICE-DELIVERY ISSUES FOR DAIRY SECTOR
Service-delivery challenges and the unrestricted imports of dairy products placed a question mark over the long-term sustainability of South Africa's dairy sector, especially developing farmers. The country lost about 43% of its total dairy farmers between January 2015 and January 2021, with numbers dropping from 1 834 to 1 053.
HARBOUR DELAYS LEAD TO SLOWDOWN IN TABLE GRAPE EXPORTS
A lower-than-usual volume of table grapes, amounting to only 13,1 million cartons, was exported from the Port of Cape Town in
