With Dr. Johnny van der Merwe on grains

Network error while loading playlist url
I was on a call with Dr Johnny can der Merwe, an agricultural economist at North West University discussing the grain markets, and we decided to record the chart and release the audio here.

Broadly, we are both optimistic about South Africa’s 2022/23 grain and oilseed production conditions, and see prices softening towards mid-year.
13 Feb 2023 English South Africa Investing · Food

Other recent episodes

Helping a neighbor – SA continues to supply maize to Zimbabwe

Whenever I see challenges within South Africa's agriculture, Zimbabwe is the other country I think of as their challenges are often worse. Notably, South Africa typically has to shoulder Zimbabwe when there are challenges, specifically in staple grain production. Consider the 2023-24 production year, when Zimbabwe had a challenging season…
16 Jan 12 min

The troubling decline of the South African sorghum industry

Whenever one posts on social media about the challenges in the maize industry, I often see responses from people arguing that South Africans should consume more sorghum. They correctly highlight the nutritious value of the crop and its resilience in challenging climatic conditions. But with all these benefits, the sorghum…
12 Jan 12 min

South Africa's agriculture in 2024 and outlook for 2025

We can view 2024 in South Africa's agriculture as a "mixed" year. Indeed, the GDP figures will show a sharp contraction in South Africa's agricultural fortunes in 2024. But a deep dive will illuminate a more nuanced picture of mixed performance. For example, the field crops and livestock subsectors had…
6 Jan 12 min

SA sees robust agricultural exports

I am starting to believe that South Africa’s 2024 agricultural exports may reach a new record high and surpass the 2023 record level of US$13, 2 billion. The better prices and output in various fruits, red meat, wool, and wine will be the major driver of the improvement in exports…
13 Dec 2024 13 min

There is rising optimism in South Africa’s farming sector

We continue to observe the rising optimism in South Africa’s farming and agribusiness sectors. For example, the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI), a sentiment indicator in the sector, increased by 10 points from Q3 to 58 in Q4. This is the second consecutive improvement, placing the ACI at its highest…
9 Dec 2024 15 min