Last week the Department of Water and Sanitation hosted a provincial consultation workshop in preparation for the planned Water and Sanitation Operation Phakisa. The purpose of the workshop was to:

• Present the key issues and possible solutions as shown in the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan
• Confirm issues for the province
• Present the framework of Operation Phakisa
• Set out preparatory work for provincial involvement on relevant workstreams and uniform framework
• Organise provincial support structure for Phakisa 

• Points out the priority actions required until 2030 and beyond to ensure the water security and equitable access to water and sanitation services for all in South Africa.
• Was developed in partnership with all relevant organs of state and water sector stakeholders, to give effect to local, national, regional, continental and international water and sanitation delivery targets and commitments.
• Ensures integrated planning and development across the entire water value chain, as articulated in the recent SONA.

The situation in Mozambique is devastating. Tropical Cyclone Idai, which hit the coastline of Mozambique on March 14, has caused a heavy loss of lives and affected more than 600 000 people, according to some estimates. The number will most likely rise after on-ground assessments. Amid continuing efforts to find survivors, one of the key concerns in the next days will be food insecurity due to damage to crop fields and port infrastructure. Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo elaborates in the linked article, written for and first published in Business Day.

South Africa's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) lifted its estimates for the country's 2018/19 grains and oilseeds production by 0.4% from last month to 12.7 million tonnes. There were no adjustments in most commodities' production estimates with the exception of sorghum which was lowered by 3% from last month, while the maize estimate was lifted marginally, and thus overshowed the decline in sorghum, resulting into an overall increase in the grains and oilseeds estimate. With that said, the overall grains and oilseeds production estimate is still 16% lower than the 2017/18 harvest due to a reduction in area planted, and expectations of relatively lower yields in some areas. Wandile Sihlobo shares his insights in the linked article.

In the recent issue of Agrekon, which is an agricultural economics academic journal, some of the most renowned agricultural economics professors, namely Johann Kirsten, Philip Pardey, and Colin Thirtle wrote a moving memorial tribute of the late Dr Frikkie Liebenberg, who was working at the University of Pretoria in the last years of his life. In a blogpost, Wandile Sihlobo writes: " Early on in my agricultural economics career at Grain South Africa (Grain SA), I was always intrigued by the "index number" theory, and South Africa's agricultural long-term productivity. No one has ever delved in the details of agricultural productivity growth like Frikkie did, and it is my considered opinion that his PhD is the best work, thus far, in this area in South Africa.  Frikkie's work invoked within me, a deep appreciation of agricultural economic history, and those who regularly follow my work and my blog may have noticed that I cite Frikkie's work frequently." Please click here to read a tribute by  Professors Kirsten, Pardey, and Thritle posted on Wandile Sihlobo's blog.

In a media statement, Minister Senzeni Zokwana stated that the disease control strategy to contain the FMD outbreak in Limpopo is yielding positive results. "Though the outbreak is under control, this does not mean that it is resolved and that no further measures will be implemented. There is still a long road ahead but the danger is currently out of the way. It is therefore imperative that all parties that have been instrumental in the success thus far remain committed and work together to resolve this outbreak as soon as possible." Please click here to peruse.

The widely expected decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to again keep interest rates unchanged was the right decision in present economic circumstances, says North-West University Business School economist, Prof. Raymond Parsons in media statement. "Both economic and political factors presently call for a predictable period of stable interest rates, especially as inflationary expectations in South Africa have moderated considerably. With changing global economic conditions, it would also be wise for the South African Reserve Bank to remain flexible regarding monetary policy and future trends in interest rates. In retrospect the hike in the repo rate in November 2018 was probably a mistake." Media statement.

Prof. Marcos Fava Neves recently published a new book - Orange Juice Chain - Past, Present and Future. The book offers information and analysis on:

* Ways to combat the global challenges to juice consumption.
* Competition with other beverages.
* Developing internal markets for juices.
* Consolidation of retailers and juice bottlers.
* Trends for the juice-processing industry
* Focus on orange-producing farms: increasing costs, disease and challenges to remain competitive.
* Sustainability, new consumers and juice marketing.
* How to develop and grow under strategic plans to increase markets and margins.
Please click here to access the book.

In a media statement, Vinpro announced that with close to two thirds of the 2019 wine grape harvest already in cellars, the most recent estimate indicates that the harvest may be somewhat smaller than last year. Media statement

The 20th edition of Cornell and Sathguru's Food and Agri Executive Management Program (AMP) will be held from 21 July to 1 August, 2019 at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. This exclusive programme offers intensive sessions on cross-cultural and cross-enterprise learning through case studies, panel discussions, debates with public and private sectors and representatives of the integrated agri and food chain system. It encourages in-depth interaction with world renowned faculty guided visits to sector-specific farms and enterprises who have excelled in their sphere.
To learn more about the programme, please follow this link and click on programme fee for fee details.

Date: 12 April 2019
Venue: Sheraton Hotel (Pretoria)
Time: 09:00 - 15:00
Institutions/organisations that provide extension and advisory services are kindly requested to indicate their availability to [email protected] on or before 5 April 2019.

In the March edition of the Tutwa Newsletter, published by Tutwa Consulting Group, the focus is on Africa. Please click here to peruse.