The growing emphasis that agriculture should be amongst the key sectors driving the South African economy and job creation has mainly leaned on potential expansion in hectares of labour-intensive, and globally sought-after horticulture products, as well as traditional grains and oilseeds. Changing perceptions about cannabis around the globe, and its growing value raises a question of whether South Africa should put concerted effort into research on this crop so that policymakers can better assess if its production benefits could be balanced by measures to mitigate unintended consequences. Wandile Sihlobo elaborates in the linked article written for and first published on Fin 24.

In a press release, Bayer said the company welcomes a science-based discussion with regulators around the globe, the international research community, as well as with consumers on the safety profile of glyphosate. To that end, all 107 Bayer-owned glyphosate safety study reports that were submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as part of the substance authorisation process in the European Union (EU) are now accessible on Bayer's dedicated transparency platform. In doing so, the company delivers on its commitment to more transparency, including its crop protection safety studies following the acquisition of Monsanto.  Press release