12
eNewsletter
2017/01
12 JANUARY 2017
POLICY AND LEGISLATION

Standard Bank and Agbiz invite you to a knowledge sharing event to be hosted on 1 February 2017 where we will unpack the Corporate Governance requirements pertaining to the recently published King IV report with Attorney Michael Judin. Michael Judin is a senior member of the King Committee that drafted the King Codes on corporate governance and an excellent speaker on this critically important subject - More information or e-mail: [email protected]


A Wheat Indaba will be hosted for all role players in the wheat industry, both upstream and downstream on the following two dates:
17 February 2017 (Auditorium, Grain Building, Willows,  Pretoria)
21 February 2017 - Elsenburg Auditorium

The main focus is to communicate all the changes aimed at reviving the wheat industry as well as new regulatory requirements that impact the industry.  The programme and registration form is linked here»

A government notice has been issued to notify industry of the Government Gazette No. 40480 of 9 December indicating proposed regulations regarding the grading, packing and marking of edible vegetable oils. Comments can be made until 28 February. Linked find the regulations   referred to in the government notice as well as the template for comment
ECONOMIC AND AGRIBUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

"The Eastern Cape is commonly cited as one of the provinces with large underutilised tracts of land under communal tenure, as well as a large number of smallholder farms," wrote Wandile Sihlobo, Agbiz economist, recently in his column for the Business Day. "This suboptimal land use assessment often overshadows some of the emerging positive trends in the province's agricultural industry, such as the growing milk industry and the rise of new commercial farmers." - Read more»
SA's agricultural machinery sales paint a mixed picture

Recent agricultural machinery sales data indicates that in December 2016, tractor sales were up by 28% when compared to December 2015 - with 349 units sold. However, this was 23% lower than the previous month's sales. Meanwhile, combine harvester sales were at the same level as for December 2015 - with only 7 units sold.  Agbiz economist, Wandile Sihlobo, reveals more in the linked update»

More rains are expected to fall in South Africa over the next week. This could potentially improve soil moisture and dam levels, and in turn, benefit summer crops. Wandile Sihlobo, Agbiz economist, joined CNBC Africa for more - Watch the interview online»

"Growing optimism in the sector is apparent - but relief and a full recovery will take more than a single season to filter through," wrote Wandile Sihlobo, in his Business Day column published on 16th December.  

"2016 has been one of the most challenging years for SA's agricultural sector, characterised by drought. Activity has been reduced throughout the sector, with revenue shrinking at primary agriculture operations and other agribusinesses.
The impact 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 sector has remained in recession as a result, contracting by 0.3% in the third quarter compared with the second.  But we need to remember that droughts alternate with good production seasons, and already, weather indications suggest 2017 could bring the much-needed relief to the sector."  - Read more»
Daily view on commodity markets

Daily commentaries on agricultural commodity markets and macro-economic trends are available on the Agbiz website  www.agbiz.co.za
MEMBER NEWS
Monsanto says next breakthrough for farmers is a friendly fungus
Monsanto is introducing a new feature this year for its genetically modified corn seeds that it says will not only boost yields but cut down on fertilizer use and carbon-dioxide emissions.  Read more»
Monsanto highlights broad set of solutions aimed at helping farmers produce better harvests
"Science is helping us identify new solutions to help farmers and this marks a record year for our R&D pipeline - with 14 projects advancing to launch and the first unveiling for more than 35 projects in the Climate pipeline," said Dr Robert Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology officer. Monsanto's R&D platforms span five areas of agricultural technology: data science, plant breeding, plant biotechnology, crop protection and ag biologicals  -
Read more»
INDUSTRY NEWS
Meet AFASA's new President
Dr. Vuyokazi (Vuyo) Mahlati was elected new AFASA President at the organisation's Congress in October. Dr. Mahlati said she took over as the President of AFASA at a very important time. A time when farmers, after a long period of time, decided to confront head-on the issue of the slow pace of land reform and lack of support for smallholder farmers.
Farmers make unwanted produce appealing to market
With the ongoing drought and subsequent above average temperatures, farmers Lufuno Ramabulana and Oscar Tshikala from Limpopo Province realised they had to find ways to make their sun scorched produce more appealing to the local market. Read this success story in the  MASDT newsletter»
UPCOMING EVENTS
VinPro Information Day
19 January 2017 | CTICC | Cape Town
More information

King IV knowledge sharing event (Standard Bank and Agbiz)
1 February 2017 | Royal Elephant Hotel | Centurion, Pretoria
More information
Contact: Jennifer Roets on e-mail: [email protected]

Wheat Indaba
17 February 2017 | Pretoria
21 February 2017 | Elsenburg
More information

CGA Citrus Summit
8 - 9 March 2017 | Port Elizabeth
More information

Water & Climate Congress
22 - 24 March 2017
More information

Annual Road Transport Legislation Workshop
23 May 2017 - Stellenbosch
25 May 2017 - Durban 
8 June 2017 - Pretoria 
More information

Agri-finance for non-financial managers
30 May - 3 June 2016
Presented by Purdue University in Africa
More information

International Conference on Global Food Security
8 - 11 October 2017 | Cape Town  International Convention Centre, 
Conference Theme: Food Security: Global challenges, local solutions
More information
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Agbiz on Facebook and Twitter

Be sure to follow Agbiz on Twitter and Facebook for the latest industry news and events.

In this newsletter