Heavy rains in SA agriculture

Loading player...
In this week’s podcast segment, agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo shares his observations of how the heavy rains in South Africa influence farm activity. He provides granular insights into each agricultural subsector. For example, the rains have had a mixed impact on fruits, where Banana and macadamia fields were distracted in parts of Mpumalanga. In contrast, the overall country and other fruits were left untouched.
In the field crops, the sugarcane fields thrive in these rains, while maize farmers in the Free State are experiencing excessively wet conditions that delay plantings. He also dives into the livestock industry issues, outlining possibilities of disease occurrences in this period.
Broadly, this week’s segment is a necessary update on South Africa’s agricultural conditions from an on-the-ground perspective.

Credit:

Production by Lwandiso Gwarubana, Richard Humphries, and Sam Mkokeli
23 Nov 2022 English South Africa Investing · Food

Other recent episodes

South Africa’s farming fortunes are positive at the start of 2026

The South African farming sector had a broadly positive start to 2026. This is notwithstanding the challenges posed by foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, African swine fever in the pig industry, and floods in the northeastern regions of South Africa at the start of the year. Still, higher economic activity across…
17 Jun 10 min

Recent floods are another headwind for South Africa’s agricultural growth

We are likely in another year of mixed fortunes in South Africa’s agriculture. At an aggregate level, we believe that the sector is likely to see some growth this year. However, the subsector view will show significant divergence, as various parts of the sector face an array of pressures. One…
20 May 7 min