Table of contents for 06 March 2020 in Farmer's Weekly

Young people in Africa are surprisingly optimistic about the future, given the high rate of youth unemployment across the continent. However, as results from a recent survey show, this generation is also disillusioned with corrupt, democratically elected governments and likely to prefer stability over democracy. The Ichikowitz Family Foundation, a leading African foundation encouraging active citizenship across the continent, recently released the African Youth Survey 2020. The results were based on 4 200 in-depth, face-to-face interviews of Africans aged 18 to 24 years across 14 countries in East, West and Southern Africa. According to the survey, African youth tended to be more optimistic about the future of the continent than the future of their own countries, with 63% unhappy with their own countries and 49% unhappy with Africa. While the…

The rise of the mining industry in South Africa has had a significant negative impact on agriculture, particularly for black farming communities. While to some extent agriculture and mining rely on each other to prosper, conflict between these two important sectors is not often talked about due to sensitivities around the causes of the conflict, which are rooted in the colonial and apartheid eras. However, some farmer organisations, including Agri SA and TAU SA, have raised concerns about the harm done to farming by mining activities. From their perspective, the water pollution by mines and acid mine drainage often lead to the contamination of groundwater reserves that agriculture relies on. This, in turn, leads to poor water quality, reduced crop yields, and health hazards for people and farm animals. Other…

Both the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) and the DA have highlighted concerns about ongoing service delivery failures at the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (KZN DARD). This followed the provincial legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Auditor General’s (AG) Office recently identifying a variety of critical problems in the department. Sandy La Marque, CEO of Kwanalu, told Farmer’s Weekly that following a meeting she had attended between KZN DARD and AG officials, she found it of “great concern” that the AG’s office had noted failures of the department’s management to “govern, account and be above reproach whilst dealing with public funds, amongst other [matters]”. “Unemployment and poverty continue to increase [when] the agriculture sector, through clear and focused interventions, could provide the growth impetus needed…

Horticulturalists in Uganda have petitioned parliament in that country to act against those officials who were extorting farmers. Aguse Kalimba, a grower and exporter of hot peppers, said that officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries were increasingly showing less interest in promoting quality produce, and concentrating instead on acquiring commissions. These concerns were first raised in a meeting with the speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, who recently received a petition from farmers and exporters of fruits and vegetables. According to tradingeconomic.com, 80% of all of Uganda’s exports were agricultural products, and included coffee, cotton, oil and fish. Kalimba said officials tasked with inspecting crops for quality assurance often charged more than 600 000 Ugandan shillings (about R2 500) and did not issue any documentation. Francis Mawejje,…

Plans to open up and regulate the commercial hemp industry in South Africa, while formulating policies for the cannabis industry, have been welcomed. These initiatives were recently announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address. Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, told Farmer’s Weekly that the plans were already part of the sectoral master plans being developed by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. He added that many African countries had recently reformed their cannabis regulations, changing the crop from being a prohibited drug to a source of income as an exportable commodity. “Data from New Frontier suggests that South Africa has a market of US$1,2 billion [about R18 billion] for cannabis and its products…

The recently launched Agricultural Development Agency (AGDA) plans to invest R25 billion in South Africa’s agriculture sector over the next decade. The funds would be used to create opportunities for new farmers and the transfer of skills from current to new farmers. According to a statement by AGDA, the ultimate aim of the cross-sector, government-supported and private sector-led initiative was to create a successful land reform environment that ensured regional food security. Leona Archary, head of the agriculture division at Bigen, would act as CEO of AGDA. The two-year initiative, announced at the Presidential Jobs Summit in 2018, had 36 founding members, which included commercial farmers, small-scale farmers and agribusinesses, and was supported by the project management office of the Presidency, the statement said. THE AGENCY WILL TRANSFER SKILLS AND…

Compliance with labour law is essential for every farmer, regardless of the number of workers employed. Employers should go further than merely complying, however; they should use labour law to protect their farms and their rights as employers. Employers have many rights in the workplace, but they also have a responsibility to enforce these rights. WHAT EVERY EMPLOYER NEEDS TO DO • In order to comply with labour law, every employer as a start needs to ensure that he or she has an employment contract in place with every employee. This is the most important document in the workplace, as it forms the basis of the relationship between employer and employee. • Use fixed-term contracts carefully and in line with legislation. It is illegal to disguise what is actually permanent…

Farmers and others directly involved in the fruit trade should be familiar with the names of the varieties on offer, even though this becomes more challenging with time. If we think only of apples, the list becomes quite formidable. The old stalwarts, Starking, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, are still around, but even these have changed somewhat. MORE OF THE SAME According to a recent FreshPlaza.com report on Cortina Farms, the challenge nowadays is to get to grips with the permutations of the same variety. A good example is Pink Lady apples. They started life years ago as Cripp’s Pink; now there are Sundowner (also known as Cripp’s Red), Lady in Red, and Rosy Glow. There might be more that I’m not aware of. Other popular ‘red’ varieties include Top…

SAVOURY Beetroot risotto While risotto may be notoriously labour-intensive, this spectacular beetroot risotto recipe makes it worth the effort. Serves four 6 beetroots 1,5l vegetable stock 60ml butter 1 onion, finely chopped 5ml fresh garlic, chopped 500ml Arborio rice 187ml white wine 45ml Parmesan cheese, finely grated 2ml salt Pinch of black pepper 1. In a saucepan, add 5ml salt and enough water to cover the beetroot. Boil them in their skins until they are soft (about 20 minutes). Allow to cool, then peel. 2. Cut three of the beetroot into smaller pieces and pulp until smooth. Chop the remaining beetroot into small cubes. 3. Prepare the vegetable stock, keeping it hot while you begin the risotto. 4. Melt the butter in a pot, and add the onion and garlic.…

Many scientists think that the virtual disappearance of the trace mineral boron from many diets has contributed to the rising rates of osteoarthritis. Since the 1960s, scientists have noticed that in regions of the world where the soil and food supply contain less boron, the incidence of osteoarthritis is high (in up to 70% of the population); but in areas where the mineral is plentiful, the rate of arthritis is far lower. Some studies found that arthritics had a lower level of boron in their blood, and an average of 50% less boron in their hips. BORON SUPPLEMENTATION In other research, osteoarthritis was induced in laboratory animals, which were then given boron supplementation. The arthritis was stopped in its tracks. Studies on people have been equally positive. In one case,…

ROBERT MANGALISO SOBUKWE: NEW REFLECTIONS edited by Benjamin Pogrund (Jonathan Ball, R270) It’s about 60 years since Sobukwe was imprisoned for leading the anti-pass campaign, but the politics overshadowing his role as PAC founder have tended to sideline him from the roll call of struggle heroes. Some big names try to put that right in this collection of essays and reflection. They include Bonang Mohale (‘Sobukwe as an inspiring metaphor for business’) and Anele Nzimande (‘Why is freedom such a bitter fruit?’). The book may represent some steps in the right direction, but it is hard to avoid Joel Mbhele’s concern that Sobukwe is “in his grave, still paying a price for his integrity”. ‘AN HOUR SPENT READING IS ONE STOLEN FROM PARADISE’ – THOMAS WHARTON (1963 - ) SO…

Eastern Cape 10 MARCH • Wauldby Dohne Merino Stud Ram Sale, Wauldby, Stutterheim. On offer: 50 rams. Phone Robbie Blaine on 082 424 5166. Free State 4 MARCH • Human Beefmaster and SA Mutton Merino Production Sale, Catherton, Steynsrus. On offer: 400 Beefmaster cattle, including 200 in-calf cows and 200 heifers (ready for mating); 540 SA Mutton Merino sheep, including 40 registered veld rams, and 500 in-lamb commercial ewes (four tooth to full mouth); and eight alpacas (herd guards; wethers). Phone Wilbur Meyer on 082 349 3189. 7 MARCH • The Great Out of Africa Meatmaster Sale, Afridome, Parys. On offer: 300 ewes and 30 rams. Phone Ian Grobbelaar on 060 965 6207. 12 MARCH • Redfield Brangus Production Sale, Warden, Kroonstad. On offer: 30 + 30 cows with calves,…

It is hard to comment on a draft constitutional amendment that is apparently not in its final form. But the stakes surrounding the proposed change to Section 25 of the South African Constitution are too high to wait until the governing ANC sets out exactly how it wants to alter it. As the draft Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill is currently worded, Section 25(2)(b) would be changed to provide that ‘a court may, where land and any improvements thereon are expropriated for the purposes of land reform, determine that the amount of compensation is nil’. In addition, a new Section 25(3A) would be inserted, authorising Parliament to set out the circumstances under which such an order could be made, subject to the Constitution. Existing commentary on this proposal has tended to…

Research is being conducted into a possible solution to the declining numbers of Cape and bearded vultures, which are close to extinction in Southern Africa. The research is being carried out by Prof Aliza le Roux, associate professor in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of the Free State, which is affiliated to the university’s Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), together with one of her students, Agnes Mkotywa. The aim of the study is to establish the effectiveness of introducing raised feeding platforms for the 200 ‘vulture restaurants’ in national parks across South Africa. Game rangers dropped off carcasses, most of which were donated by nearby farmers, at these sites. Le Roux said that the use of poisioned carcasses as bait for other predators such as jackals and…

EUROPE The European market has been hit by a severe shortage of white seedless grapes, according to Corné van de Klundert of Origin Fruit Direct, a Netherlands-based company. The company said in a report that the shortages were due to the longer-than-usual monsoon season in India. Van de Klundert said the bulk of white seedless grapes currently on the market had been imported from South Africa and Peru. He added that large volumes of these grapes were expected from India in the first two weeks of March, but that the market would remain tight until then. UKRAINE Ukraine, the world’s top exporter of sunflower oil, has already increased its seaborne exports of sunflower oil by 61% at this stage in the 2019/2020 season. Seaport exports total 2,23 million tons so…

The South African agriculture sector has already put plans in place to combat outbreaks of the brown locust (Locustana pardalina), an African migratory locust, according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife SA. This followed a directive by the Botswana Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security that an outbreak had been reported in the country’s Ngamiland area. “Small outbreaks [of the brown locust] have already been reported and controlled in [regions of the Karoo, such as] De Aar and Richmond,” he said. According to Verdoorn, the recent band of tropical weather conditions had carried the locusts from the Democratic Republic of Congo via Angola to Southern Africa. Soil temperatures of about 30°C, with atmospheric moisture levels of 30%, had formed ideal hatching conditions for the locusts.…

A robust beef export industry could substantially increase the profitability of South African farmers, according to livestock consultant and CEO of Wagyu South Africa, Dr Michael Bradfield. However, investments in genetic improvement and traceability were needed to build a sought-after brand abroad. Speaking at the recent Africa Agri Tech in Pretoria, Bradfield said the local livestock industry had much more potential than was presently acknowledged. “We should be building a better export industry, but we don’t have the reputation that countries like Brazil, Argentina and Australia have. We need to reinvent ourselves as a livestock industry, putting full traceability in place to assure customers of a safe, quality product.” He noted that, on average, US farmers realised an additional R4 000/carcass for meat that was exported. “For the South African…

South Africa’s ongoing population growth and urbanisation, and the resultant need to expand urban areas, mean that there will always be a demand for land for non-agricultural purposes. However, it remains essential to limit the rezoning of higher-potential agricultural land for such purposes. This is according to Prof Theo Kleynhans of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University, who is also a professional land valuer. He added that he was “not under the impression” that national demand for the rezoning of agricultural land was growing out of proportion to urban growth. “Due to the almost complete irreversibility of changing land-use from agriculture to non-agriculture, it is sad to see society lose agricultural land. “The impact will be negative, but to ensure it is limited, all applications for the rezoning…

The Draft National Youth Policy for 2020 to 2030, published in February by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, has called for agricultural colleges and schools to be established in every province, while agriculture faculties needed to be introduced or strengthened at universities and TVET colleges. According to the policy document, the proposed interventions were cross-sectoral and aimed at effecting positive youth development on the local, provincial and national level to counter high unemployment. Some of the interventions outlined in the policy for the various sectors, including agriculture, were providing young people with career information and guidance, giving them a second chance to complete their education, outlining alternative pathways to attain training and skills, and providing the support necessary to transition to higher education. According to the…

Paul Webber adheres to a standard inoculation regime for his Angoras, which aims to prevent Pasteurella-related conditions and pulpy kidney, amongst others. Goats on the veld are dosed for internal parasites two to three times a year, and all young goats that are removed from the kikuyu pastures are dosed. Dipping facilities are spread out on the farm to minimise the need to move and stress animals, and dipping takes place approximately every fortnight. The goats are also treated for lice after shearing.…

When, in 1915, Albert Marr from the farm Cheshire near Pretoria volunteered to fight in the First World War (1914-1918), his pet chacma baboon, Jackie, became a mascot for the 3rd South African Infantry Regiment, to which he was assigned. As Marr went through basic training, Jackie (who, along with his master, was enlisted as a private) learnt to march, salute and even use cutlery and a tin cup in the mess, to the delight of the young soldiers. IN ACTION The first assignment of the 3rd South African Infantry Regiment (also known as the Transvaal Regiment) took place not in Europe, but in the North African desert. In collaboration with other South African and British units, they were to deal with the Senussi jihadists of Libya and Egypt. Led…

Popular South African author Marita van der Vyver now lives in France, and her work is influenced by European events. But her latest novel, BORDERLINE (Penguin, R280), brings her right back to her home country. Theresa is given a diary and letter on the death of her ex-husband after 20 years in a mental institution following his experiences during the Angolan Border War. The diary was kept by him on the Border; the letter was written by a Cuban soldier, now dead, to his baby daughter. To build bridges with a former enemy, Theresa goes to Cuba to give the letter to the daughter. Insightful and quietly disturbing.…

In February, the US adjusted the list of developing and least developed countries it will consider for special and differential treatment. Under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) countervailing duty (CVD) law and the subsidies and countervailing measures (SCM) agreement, least developed and developing countries are allowed to implement specific levels of product-specific and sectoral support, because any related trade-distorting measures are normally considered to be too small to have a significant impact on global markets. For example, special treatment under the CVD law means that governments that are considering reciprocal and countermeasures through a ‘countervailing duty’ investigation must terminate such an investigation if the amount of the subsidy is less than a 2% ad valorem tax, or if the size of imports from the country is less than 4% of…

The downward trend in price premiums for rare and exceptional game species has continued, with a four-year-old buffalo bull with a 41-inch horn span being sold for R900 000 last month. According to wildlife economist Dr Flippie Cloete, the same bull would comfortably have achieved a price of between R4 million and R5 million three years ago. “It’s safe to say that prices went down as much as 50% during this period,” he said. Prices, nevertheless, were apparently beginning to stabilise, as was evident in the floor prices of high-value species, such as sable antelope, and the so-called colour variants, such as black impala and golden wildebeest. The initial decline in these prices could be ascribed to supply significantly exceeding demand at the time, he said. ‘PRICES HAVE FALLEN BY…

Namibia’s red meat producers will benefit significantly from beef exports to the US, according to Thinus Pretorius, chairperson of the Namibian Livestock Producers’ Organisation. He said it had taken nearly two decades for negotiations to be finalised by the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco). “The agreement between [Namibia and the US] provides for the export of forequarter beef products. It will obviously considerably broaden our client base. The announcement came as a godsend, particularly in light of the past years’ devastating drought,” he added. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia’s deputy prime minister, said in a statement that the agreement had been preceded by probably one of the longest protocol audits ever undertaken by the Food Safety and Inspection Service in the US and the Namibian Directorate of Veterinary Service. The audit had…

Uncertainty is growing among Argentina’s top fruit producers following the interception of exports to Brazil due to codling moth (Cydia pomonella), the loss of exchange rate competitiveness, and the introduction of pears produced in China on the Brazilian market. Over the past year, Argentina exported around 300 000t of pears, with 33% of this being sold on the Brazilian market. Pears accounted for 80% of Argentina’s fruit exports to Brazil. China produced a record pear harvest over the past season. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the country harvested more than 17 million tons, which was 20% higher than the previous season. Moreover, Russia recently closed its borders to imports from China due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which meant that more Chinese pears would be available on…

Since the long-standing Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa wound up its activities at the end of 2019, South African tobacco companies have focused on tackling key issues affecting the value chain. Two of South Africa’s largest tobacco product companies, British American Tobacco South Africa (BAT SA) and Philip Morris South Africa (PM SA), told Farmer’s Weekly that the ongoing illicit trade in tobacco products was the single biggest threat to the national value chain. Johnny Moloto, head of external affairs at BAT SA, which buys about 80% of locally grown tobacco leaf, said the illicit tobacco trade had resulted in a “dramatic decline” in demand for legal tobacco products. “A drop in sales volumes for BAT therefore translates directly into reduced volumes for local farmers and processors. This hits local…

Namibia’s dairy industry is facing a crisis due to the ongoing drought, and is on the brink of economic catastrophe, according to Kokkie Adriaanse, chairperson of the Namibian Dairy Producers’ Organisation. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Adriaanse said intensive dairy operations in the country had been forced to cut production by 300 000l since October 2019 due to economic difficulties caused by the drought. The organisation had recently held talks with the Namibian government about the possibility of a subsidy for animal feed. “We simply cannot afford to buy animal feed anymore. “Exorbitant transport costs, coupled with increasing feed costs, have exacerbated the crisis,” he said. According to Adriaanse, production of animal feed crops at the Hardap Dam near Mariental had come to a standstill and crops were dying in the…

Farmers were inundated with new technologies, but speakers at the recent Africa Agri Tech in Pretoria warned against those that did not prove to have a clear benefit. Peter Leppan, director of Proagrica, a provider of data-driven support solutions, said the challenge for the industry was using the data collected to make a positive impact. “We need to be able to minimise on-farm costs by using the right technology. Currently, the situation is that we have disconnected systems, inefficient processes, isolated data and complex operations.” He said much work still needed to be done to standardise the data so that it could be entered into a program that could analyse it and make useful recommendations. Erik de Vries, director of technology and innovation company Agri Technovation, noted that 4% of…

The deadly novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, is one of the factors currently “unnerving” the global trading environment, according to Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape. Pienaar and Conrad Fick, marketing director of Tru-Cape, briefed the media after their recent visit to Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Germany, about the latest trends at the fair and how these could affect South Africa’s fruit industry. According to Pienaar, South East Asia, especially China, was a highly significant market for South African fruit exports, especially apples such as the Fuji and Royal Beauty varieties. “At the moment, from a trade and apple export perspective, [the outbreak] is going to have a huge impact on trade in that region over the next few months,” he said. According to him, delays at that country’s…

I have often thanked my lucky stars that I wasn’t born into a family business. Yes, I might have been worth much more money, but for every success I’ve seen, I’ve come across more failures. Running any business is tough enough, but when you have family mixed up in it, the emotions involved often become so dominant that rational decision-making goes out the window. And when decisions are based on what’s good for the family, not for the business, it’s the beginning of the end. Every family business has to face a hard reality: the owner will eventually die, or become disabled, retire or otherwise leave the company, and someone will need to step in and take over. Yet, time and again, chaos and family conflict arise over succession, particularly…

Create a strong support network: Dirk Louw identifies André Smith as a major contributor to his success, thanks to his role in mentoring and believing in him. But Louw has since also found support in various other places, such as the Northern Cape department of agriculture, Raisins SA, Oranjerivier Wynkelders, GWK, SA Droëvrugte, Van Der Watt Incorporated, Eygelaar Serfontein Rekenmeesters, Boegoeberg Water Users’ Association, Optimum Insurance, FNB, the Land Bank, Nulandis and Carl Baard. Innovate: Hitting hard times is inevitable, but a farmer has to think out of the box to identify ways to survive. Diversify: Louw has diversified his market and climatic risks by planting pecan trees and dried grape vineyards. Maize is cultivated on lands not under permanent crops, in a rotation consisting of one-year of maize followed…

Three armyworm species occur in South Africa: the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), the African armyworm (S. exempta), and the lesser armyworm (S. exigua). These insects’ life cycles, behaviour and ecologies differ, and they feed on different crops, says Dr Annemie Erasmus, a senior researcher of entomology at the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) Grain Crops Institute. The lesser armyworm, for example, survives on broadleaved plants, while the African armyworm feeds on grass species such as maize. “It is essential for crop producers to familiarise themselves with the different species of armyworm to ensure correct classification and effective control should an outbreak occur,” says Erasmus. FALL ARMYWORM Fall armyworm (FAW) larvae were first collected in South Africa in 2017, mainly on maize lands. The pest can cause great devastation to a number…

Tony Dold, manager of the Selmar Schonland Herbarium at Rhodes University, has poured a lifetime’s passion for indigenous plants into his enthralling new book, co-authored with Susan Abraham, CULTURES, CURES & CURIOSITIES: PLANT-LORE AND LEGEND OF THE EASTERN CAPE (Botanical Society, R390; email: gregory@ botsoc-kirstenbosch.org.za). 1. Plant hunting: I grew up in Ngcobo in the former Transkei, learning Xhosa when I was a child. So from early on, I picked up on how people find and use indigenous plants. 2. Tenacity: This book, a profile of 40 of about 220 widely traded local plants, was meant to be straightforward. But in hindsight, it was an insane amount of effort! 3. Forests: I trained at Saasveld but later worked as a technician in the Department of Botany at Rhodes. I then…

As described in my previous article, MyHeritage is an online genealogy app that can be read and added to by users. It also has access to a number of national census records. The result is a vast and rapidly growing genealogical resource; the app currently has 109 million users, 3,8 billion family tree profiles, and 10 billion historical records, as well as supporting 42 languages. IT’S ALL IN THE GENES MyHeritage now offers DNA testing, a feature that should gain it even more followers. The procedure is simple: order the kit online for US$79 (about R1 200), take a simple cheek swab, send it off to MyHeritage, and wait a month for the results. They will include a breakdown of your ancestors’ ethnicity, the regions they came from, and the…

If you were given R30 million to invest in agriculture, either in new or existing farming activities or in the agriculture value chain, how would you spend it? I’d buy a piece of land in my home province of the Eastern Cape and establish a practical research farm for regenerative agriculture to develop low-cost, sustainable farming practices. These are not only to keep our family farmers on their farms, but to develop appropriate practices to get the former homelands productive again. I’m convinced this could be an absolute game changer. What is the best advice you have ever been given? Finish today’s work today, because tomorrow will bring its own problems. I still struggle with that one. If you were given carte blanche to effect one major change in South…