• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
The chief economist of Agbiz says the one food category for which price trends remain uncertain, is meat. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: ‘Difficult to predict meat price trends’

22nd April 2022
Dr Peter Oberem (right), the founder of Afrivet Southern Africa, with Ronan Smith, Bimeda’s chief executive for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific division. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Bimeda’s Afrivet takeover ‘to strengthen animal health offering’

17th August 2022
Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza has placed a 21-day ban on the movement of cattle across South Africa due to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

SA battles 116 FMD outbreaks amid 21-day cattle ban

16th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Illegal sand mining poses a threat to many ecosystems, human safety and agricultural practises. Photo: Pixabay

Will the world run out of sand?

16th August 2022
Organic certification is a long, but rewarding process. Photo: Supplied/Food for Mzansi

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

16th August 2022
This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

16th August 2022
Prof. Theo Venter gives his take on the ruling party’s recent policy conference and what it means going forward. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

16th August 2022
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza, MP has taken the decision to suspend all movement of cattle in the whole country. The Ministers decision is aimed at halting the continued spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country. It also means that cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days reviewable weekly. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

16th August 2022
Justin Platt, founder and CEO of Zylem and RegenZ argues that instead of basing management decisions on a purely rational and cognitive approach, farmers need to harness (and trust) their unique intuition. Photo: Supply/AdobeStock

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

16th August 2022
Leanne Gammage and Jackson Andrew, co-founders of Masterstock Cape Wild Food. Masterstock Cape Wild Food is a speciality salt brand focused on regenerative agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

16th August 2022

R350 grant puts sisters on agri path to success

15th August 2022
The uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is supporting local farmers through a new agricultural unit that has been established in the municipality. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

15th August 2022
Farmers in the south-western parts of the country can expect a slightly drier than usual spring. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: Below-normal winter rainfall to continue

15th August 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Leanne Gammage and Jackson Andrew, co-founders of Masterstock Cape Wild Food. Masterstock Cape Wild Food is a speciality salt brand focused on regenerative agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

    R350 grant puts sisters on agri path to success

    The uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is supporting local farmers through a new agricultural unit that has been established in the municipality. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

    This drone is collecting data which farmers can then access on the yield management platform. Photo: Supplied/Aerobotics

    How the Internet of Things is transforming agri

    His life took a turn for the worst when he ended up in jail for dealing in drugs, but Thembinkosi Matika turned his life around and now helps others through his Legacy Farming Project. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Drug dealer turned farmer ploughs back

    Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

    Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: ‘Difficult to predict meat price trends’

Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo says the one essential product whose price trend remains uncertain is meat, and the devastation in KwaZulu-Natal, in the near term at least, holds minimal risks to food security in much of the country

by Vateka Halile
22nd April 2022
in News, Uncategorised
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
The chief economist of Agbiz says the one food category for which price trends remain uncertain, is meat. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

The chief economist of Agbiz says the one food category for which price trends remain uncertain, is meat. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Red meat prices might go down in the next few months while poultry prices might rise. But price trends in Mzansi’s meat industry are uncertain, says Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo, following the country’s latest inflation announcement.

Agriculture policy: Commenting on government credibility: Wandile Sihlobo
Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

“The one essential product whose price trend remains uncertain is meat. The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease will likely lead to the temporary closure of some key export markets for the red meat industry, thus adding downward pressure on prices. Conversely, there are fears of a potential increase in poultry product prices, which could somewhat lessen the benefit of softer red meat prices,” Sihlobo says.

Stats SA released the March inflation figures earlier this week, and Agbiz says economists now expect food inflation to average 6% this year, which will be lower than 2021’s 6.5% and the drastic surge in grain prices. Where overall inflation for the country quickened to 5,9% in March from 5,7% in February, food-specific inflation slowed but remains above the overall figure.

“The country’s consumer food price inflation moderated to 6,6% year on year in March from 6,7% in the previous month. This is on the back of softer price increases in fish, milk, eggs and cheese, oils and fats, and vegetables,” Sihlobo says.

He believes the moderation in the “oils and fats” category is temporary as global vegetable oil prices continue to surge and local prices will follow a
similar trend with time. Higher grain prices will also reflect on elevated bread and cereals prices.

But despite he Russia-Ukraine war and the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Agbiz doesn’t foresee a shortage in food; only potential price increases. “There is a sizeable domestic harvest of grains, fruits, and expected import volumes for products that the country typically imports, such as rice, wheat, and palm oil.”

“There are various factors all pushing in opposing directions in the short term. As a result of these dynamics, we now expect South Africa’s consumer food price inflation to increase modestly from readings in recent months, and possibly average 6% year on year in 2022 (from 6,5% in 2021), and not follow the drastic surge that we have observed in grains prices.”

ALSO READ: Inflation 101: Wage increases are simply wiped out

KZN floods ‘hold minimal risk for food security’

In a separate piece following the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Sihlobo writes that the province is not necessarily the epicentre of agriculture in South Africa, and that the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo hold far more critical positions in the country’s food system. “Therefore, the devastation in KwaZulu-Natal, in the near term at least, holds minimal risks to food security in much of the country.”

Nevertheless, the province is an important contributor to South Africa’s agricultural sector. “Estimates from the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) show that around 30% of South Africa’s dairy herd is located in KwaZulu-Natal, and significant volumes of chicken eggs and pigs are produced with a 12% share each. Almost 81% of the country’s sugar is produced in the province, which, if products are not produced and transported, will have economic consequences for the entire industry.”

The province also processes roughly 8% of the 11.5 million tonnes of maize consumed in South Africa each year, and approximately 21% of the wheat.

“The numbers vary per product, but the point here is that food supply chains are not concentrated in one particular province.”

With the Durban port being an important passing point for imported and exported agricultural products, amongst other goods, Sihlobo says the cross-border movement of goods may be affected.

He adds, however, “To people who might have questions about whether the destruction could have spill-over to much of South Africa’s food security, my initial thoughts are that if the government, Transnet and logistical role players continue working effectively at finding alternative routes to the port, as is the case at the present moment, then we should not have a near-term food security concern for the country.”

ALSO READ: KZN floods: Durban port has export farmers worried

Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.

Tags: agribusinessAgricultural SectorKZN floodsWandile Sihlobo
Share196Tweet123Send
Previous Post

N. Cape learners bring A-game to AgriCareers exhibition

Next Post

Nafu president: ‘Corruption, politics will bring us down’

Vateka Halile

Vateka Halile

Related Posts

Some of the children with the ECD practitioner Yolanda Shabalala. Zero2Five Trust promotes holistic Early Childhood Development in formerly disadvantaged areas by improving learners’ health and education outcomes with nutrition and education programmes. Photo: Supplied/Zero2Five Trust

Zero2Five: Giving hope to KZN flood victims

by Staff Reporter
27th July 2022
0

The Zero2Five Trust has been working tirelessly to provide children and their families with food parcels and blankets in the...

The wool industry, which has been closed off from the Chinese market for nearly four months now, has lost R734.15 million in revenue to date. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

China’s wool ban has cost Mzansi R700m. so far

by Tiisetso Manoko
25th July 2022
0

What happens if you suddenly lose 70% of your customer base? South Africa’s wool industry now finds itself in this...

Nonhlanhla Joye had to watch her investment of hundreds of thousands of rand, and a potential income into the millions, get drenched in water. Photos: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

R3m. potato harvest gone! Joye fights to get back up

by Duncan Masiwa
13th July 2022
0

"The floods really took a chunk of my life. Faith is what I need to go on for yet another...

For the past two years South Africa's agricultural sector experienced strong growth, with expansion in all sub-sectors. However, this year will be a bit different. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Livestock: Urgent industry solutions needed or else…

by Wandile Sihlobo
11th July 2022
0

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: South Africa's livestock industry is feeling a major pinch as feed prices continue to soar and outbreaks...

Next Post
National African Farmers Union president Motsepe Matlala. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Nafu president: 'Corruption, politics will bring us down'

Organic certification is a long, but rewarding process. Photo: Supplied/Food for Mzansi
Farmer's Inside Track

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

by Nicole Ludolph
16th August 2022
0

FARMER'S INSIDE TRACK: Organic certification poses a challenge to many South African farmers who go that route. Alan Rosenberg, chairperson...

Read more
This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

16th August 2022
Prof. Theo Venter gives his take on the ruling party’s recent policy conference and what it means going forward. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

16th August 2022
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza, MP has taken the decision to suspend all movement of cattle in the whole country. The Ministers decision is aimed at halting the continued spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country. It also means that cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days reviewable weekly. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

16th August 2022
Justin Platt, founder and CEO of Zylem and RegenZ argues that instead of basing management decisions on a purely rational and cognitive approach, farmers need to harness (and trust) their unique intuition. Photo: Supply/AdobeStock

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

16th August 2022

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

Relief! Govt convinces EU to save SA citrus

Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken

This week’s agriculture events: 15 to 18 August 2022

ICYMI: MEC lines up municipal support for farmers

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 12 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

Bimeda’s Afrivet takeover ‘to strengthen animal health offering’

SA battles 116 FMD outbreaks amid 21-day cattle ban

Will the world run out of sand?

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.