1+ hour, 1+ min ago  (217+ words) My earlier letter this morning may have put what appears to be a scary scenario quite mildly. The oil price has already crossed $100 per barrel this morning, suggesting that over the coming months, we are likely to see quite steep…...

2+ hour, 36+ min ago  (71+ words) How the Middle East issues will likely impact South Africa's agriculture'Wandile Sihlobo | Substack How the Middle East issues will likely impact South Africa's agriculture We are watching the worrying developments in the Middle East. The region is key to South…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago  (950+ words) We spent time last week engaging with agribusinesses and farmers in the Western Cape. The primary agricultural focus of the province is various fruits, citrus, table grapes, wine, wheat, barley, livestock, and aquaculture, among many value chains. Each of these…...

2+ day, 17+ hour ago  (315+ words) We continue to observe an encouraging start to the year in South African agricultural machinery sales. These strong sales come after a robust 2025, when South Africa's tractor sales totalled 7,668 units, up 19% from 2024, and combine harvester sales totalled 207 units, up 3% from…...

3+ day, 18+ hour ago  (273+ words) I am at the Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) and South African Reserve Bank conference in Stellenbosch today. The agricultural economist Tinashe Kapuya and I presented a paper titled "Redefining the Path: An Assessment of South Africa's Agricultural Growth Model....

4+ day, 22+ hour ago  (210+ words) We are grateful to our friends in Botswana for easing restrictions on South African vegetable imports. The great people of Botswana can now enjoy fresh, affordable vegetables from South Africa. We also look forward to working with our neighbours to…...

5+ day, 11+ hour ago  (462+ words) Early impressions of how the Middle East issues will likely impact South Africa's agriculture'Wandile Sihlobo | Substack Early impressions of how the Middle East issues will likely impact South Africa's agriculture We are watching the worrying developments in the Middle East....

1+ week, 2+ day ago  (836+ words) There are a few things that worry us more than a potential sharp rise in food prices. Many households are already under pressure, and spend a notable share of their income on food. As we continue to struggle with foot-and-mouth…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago  (328+ words) Some, understandably, criticised the value of AGOA as the "Liberation Day" tariffs eroded its benefits. Without AGOA, South African products exported to the U.S. would typically face an additional 3.4% tariff on top of the "Liberation Day" tariffs, which were 30%, bringing the…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago  (369+ words) South Africa's agriculture experienced a relatively positive year in 2025, although challenges persisted in the livestock sector. We observe that improved agricultural performance is also reflected in the employment data. For example, the number of farm jobs in South Africa increased…...