January
NORTHERN CAPE FARMERS RETAINING EWES AMIDST DROUGHT
Farmers in the Northern Cape, where a devastating drought has prevailed since 2011, were still in dire straits, despite the rainfall that occurred recently in some parts of the region. According to Sybil Visagie, convenor of the Save the Sheep drought-relief organisation, many farmers were experiencing very serious cash-flow challenges and found it extremely difficult to rebuild their herds. She added that sheep numbers had declined by as much as two-thirds during the past 12 years. She added that because of the low livestock numbers and the drought's financial and economic impact on producers, they were retaining as many of their ewe lambs as possible in order to increase sheep number.
SUCCULENT SPECIES AT THREAT OF EXTINCTION
The poaching of endemic succulent species in South Africa presented a serious threat that could lead to many species, including those in the Hoodia, Conophytum and Euphorbia genera, becoming extinct. Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife South Africa, said the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape had been particularly hard hit by this scourge. He said the extent of this kind of theft fell into the same category as the poaching of rhinos.
TABLE GRAPE INDUSTRY TAKES A KNOCK
South Africa's table grape industry took a beating during the past marketing season, with prices falling due to an oversupply on the local market. Although export market prices held firm, many producers opted to divert fruit to local markets because of high export costs and risks. Gert Upton, senior manager for marketing and sales at Schoonbee Landgoed near Groblersdal, Limpopo, told Farmer's Weekly that many producers had suffered losses on the export market last year due to high shipping costs and delays at ports.
COVID-19 STILL CAUSING PORT DELAYS
Exporters to China were given a glimmer of hope late last year after that country scrapped its zero-COVID-19 policy and resumed the importation of goods. This has rapidly dimmed, however, as infection rates have since surged and logistics have once more ground to a halt. Wolfe Braude, manager of Agbiz Fruit, said these delays would be particularly risky for exporters of perishable goods, such as fruit, as these commodities could not be kept for long at port before quality began to suffer.
February
CLANWILLIAM DAM LEVEL A CONCERN FOR FARMERS
The levels of storage dams in the Western Cape were falling rapidly, according to Johan van den Berg, independent agricultural meteorologist. Van den Berg said in a statement that the average level of storage dams in the Western Cape had dropped to below 60% by the first week of January, compared with levels close to 80% at the same time in 2022. During the same period, the level of the Theewaterskloof Dam stood at about 64% of capacity, which was about 30% lower than in January 2022. The Clanwilliam Dam's
