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Economic and agribusiness intelligence
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Brief comments on South Africa's white maize market
South Africa consumes an average 10.5 million tons of maize a year, with approximately 48% (5 million tons) being white maize and the balance is yellow maize. The general perception is that all the white maize is consumed in the food market, however, only 70% of the 5 million tons actually goes to human consumption. The rest is consumed by livestock as "maize chop". Agbiz economist, Wandile Sihlobo, shares more information in the linked document. |
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Land dynamics in Africa: What is the potential for expansion?
 Africa has 1.2 billion hectares of agricultural land, of which 19% is arable land for crop production. Just under 3% is under permanent crops such as cocoa, coffee and other forms of plantation agriculture. The rest is under permanent meadows and pastures - to grow herbaceous forage crops (either cultivated, or growing wild, or grazing land). The 1.2 billion hectares of African land represents roughly 23% of global total agricultural land. Agbiz economists, Wandile Sihlobo and Tinashe Kapuya, unpacks this in the link document. |
Farming needs a plan to weather storm
This article by Wandile Sihlobo, economist at Agbiz, was first published in Business Day on 4th of July 2016 - Opinion & Analysis
 The drought has arguably been the most pronounced factor to have affected the South African agricultural and agribusiness landscapes in recent history. The effect on crop and livestock production has been devastating, and these industries are expected to continue to bear the brunt of this weather phenomenon for years to come. The focus of agricultural role players now needs to be redirected to long-term growth and resilience strategies for the sector, besides the tactical focus of managing the immediate crisis. Read full article» |
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Daily market viewpoint on agri-commodities
South Africa is very much integrated into a dynamic global market, which is characterised by rapid changes. To support decision makers in this environment, Agbiz members receive daily commentaries on agricultural commodity markets and macro-economic trends via e-mail. The latest and historic commentaries are available on the Agbiz website www.agbiz.co.za |
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Weekly wrap of agri-commodities
In addition to Agbiz's daily commentaries on agricultural commodity markets and macro-economic trends that members receive via e-mail, Agbiz will on Fridays consolidate all the weekly key events in the South African agricultural markets in a RSA Agricultural Commodities Weekly Wrap. The latest and historic commentaries are available on the Agbiz website www.agbiz.co.za |
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Prioritisation of South Africa's orange export markets in the Far East
 Far East markets remain of the most important areas of strategic expansion for the South African fresh produce industry. South Africa exported 103 802 tons of oranges in 2015 to Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, China and Hong Kong, combined. Of this volume, 87 728 tons (or 85%) went to China and Hong Kong, making the two markets the cornerstone of South Africa's Asian market. The linked report compiled by Agbiz economists, Wandile Sihlobo and Tinashe Kapuya, provides more information.
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Agbiz joins in celebrations of Canada Day in South Africa
 Agbiz this week joined the High Commission of Canada in South Africa to celebrate Canada Day and Canada's engagement in South Africa. Inspired by the International Year of the Pulses, a menu was created consisting of a combination of South African and locally-available Canadian ingredients. Canada is a world leader in pulse production and exports to 150 countries worldwide, including to South Africa. In 2015, South Africa imported over R80 million worth of Canadian pulses. High Commissioner Sandra McCardell said: "At a time when the world is concerned with food security and climate change, pulses are nutritious and climate smart. Pulses need less water than many crops and contribute to mitigate the effects of climate change". |
Structural transformation in Africa's economies remains the highest priority, and industrialization is the top strategy for achieving it in practice. Achieving the African Union's Agenda 2063 and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals will 
