June 17, 2011
Can Farming At Household Level Overcome Hunger In Southern Africa?
The Southern Africa Trust in partnership with the Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA) will host a public policy dialogue on food security in southern Africa, with a focus on how to achieve household level food security in the region.Posted by StaffWriter at 7:31 AM
June 6, 2011
Celebrating the woman behind the Moringa project, Mavis Mathabatha, and unveiling new research.
Tooseng, GaMphahlele, Limpopo - On the morning of 28 June 2011, farmers, government officials, rural community stakeholders and activists, as well as experts in the field of food security and nutrition, will gather in Tooseng village in Limpopo province to celebrate and honour Mavis Mathabatha for becoming the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) National Female Entrepreneur of the Year.
Posted by StaffWriter at 3:58 PM
March 2, 2011
MIC offers small farmers access to big retailers
BEE investor the Mineworkers'' Investment Company (MIC) has committed R2m in funding to assist small-scale farmers in rural areas.
Posted by StaffWriter at 9:43 AM
June 21, 2010
Caught in a legal net
The state is in for a bruising legal battle over fishing rights, which could have far reaching, precedent-setting consequences for transformation, not only in the fishing industry but across the economy.
Posted by StaffWriter at 11:06 AM
April 30, 2010
Zuma calls for decisive land redistribution
Significant changes would have to be made to the "willing buyer, willing seller" model of land transacting to move forward decisively with the land redistribution programme, President Jacob Zuma said yesterday.
Posted by StaffWriter at 9:37 AM
November 6, 2009
Poultry firm invests R70m in processing plant, support services
Poultry producer Sovereign Foods, formally known as Rocklands Poultry, has made a multimillion-rand invest- ment in its processing plant and support services, creating the capacity to process up to 60-million birds a year, almost doubling the number of jobs sustained by its Uitenhage factory and surrounding farms.
Posted by StaffWriter at 10:24 AM
November 3, 2009
Eyethu Keeps Nicely Afloat
REDUCED quotas in the fishing industry have put a strain on companies' balance sheets, but Port Elizabeth-based Eyethu Fishing is still managing to do quite well.
Posted by StaffWriter at 10:52 AM
October 26, 2009
BEE fund probe is on, Hawks promise
As opposition parties accused the government of a cover-up, Hawks spokesperson Musa Zondi insisted on Sunday that investigations were under way into the alleged ransacking of a R100-million BEE fund - financed by the taxpayer - which was meant for poor farmers.
Posted by StaffWriter at 9:35 AM
October 22, 2009
Farmers, officials in row over water allocations
AGRICULTURAL union AgriSA is accusing the government of using water rights allocations to force farmers to exceed black economic empowerment (BEE) targets set by the Department of Trade and Industry and the AgriBEE charter.
Posted by StaffWriter at 10:03 AM
August 27, 2009
Boosting Smallholder Farming is Key to Easing Hunger at Household Level in Southern Africa
If countries in the southern Africa region are to
achieve food security at household level amongst the rural poor, there is need
for a broad range of interrelated policies and strategies that include
infrastructure development, anticipating climate shocks, structural reforms to
strengthen the resource base of poor smallholder farmers, promoting smallholder
farmers organizations, increased government support in providing access to
inputs such as fertilizer and seeds, and the establishment of strong
partnerships between the different social sectors.
Posted by StaffWriter at 2:35 PM
March 17, 2009
Emerging farmers need help
Nelspruit - Access to markets is proving to be one of the greatest challenges for emerging farmers in Mpumalanga.
Posted by StaffWriter at 12:21 PM
December 8, 2008
Draft charters for building, forestry
The draft charters for broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) in construction and forestry sector were gazetted on Friday for public comment.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:28 AM
December 1, 2008
Use water wisely - Agri SA
Agri SA has called on the irrigation community - the largest water users in South Africa to conserve water and use it within the framework of the National Water Act.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:36 AM
November 17, 2008
KZN farms lie abandoned
Millions of rands spent by the government on land reform projects in Zululand have been wasted so far, with many farms handed to farmers since 2004 lying abandoned and derelict.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:49 AM
November 3, 2008
Worker trusts take control of fruit exporter
Nearly 200 workers and packers of a prominent apple and pear producer in the fertile Elgin Valley have taken a controlling interest in two farms in a R29m deal representing one of the largest land reform and agricultural black economic empowerment (BEE) projects in the Overberg region.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:56 AM
October 28, 2008
Farming enterprises on BEE road
Johannesburg - Many farming enterprises in South Africa comply with the codes of good practise for broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), a report by PricewatehrouseCoopers said today.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:19 AM
October 14, 2008
Conflict of interest involving brothers
The Democratic Alliance has raised concern about a proposed investment of R45-million in Mjindi Farming, a far northern KwaZulu-Natal public entity owned by the agriculture and environmental affairs department, charging that there has been a possible conflict of interest involving businessmen, the Sokhela brothers.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:40 AM
September 18, 2008
Afgri ready for second bite at BEE farming
Afgri has proposed to re-enter a black economic empowerment (BEE) maize farming business despite closing down a "flawed" empowerment farming scheme that lost R22 million.
Posted by StaffWriter at 8:29 AM
September 12, 2008
Massive farming project to bring 600 jobs
THE Blue Crane Development Agency has launched a commercial agriculture project to plant about 200000 pomegranate trees on at least 280 hectares in the Somerset East area.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:01 AM
August 13, 2008
New private equity fund launched to invest in agribusiness in sub-Saharan Africa
Important contributor to economic growth in the region and is poised for significant expansionPosted by StaffWriter at 7:35 AM
August 5, 2008
Property bill 'driving farmers out of SA'
The current exodus of South African commercial farmers will eventually force the country to buy its food from Botswana, Agri SA's chairperson has warned.Posted by StaffWriter at 2:47 PM
June 23, 2008
'Xingwana does not interfere'
Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana does not interfere in the activities of the Land Bank, the ministry said on Monday.Posted by StaffWriter at 7:15 AM
June 10, 2008
Futuregrowth funds for BEE chicken farmers
A facility for the growing of chickens opened in the Wolseley District in the Breede River Valley, with R30m of capital provided by Futuregrowth Asset Management. The new state-of-the-art facility, which uses Australian technology, opened at De Liefde Hoenders.Posted by StaffWriter at 7:18 AM
June 3, 2008
Court Upholds Allocation of Long-Term Fishing Rights
A decision issued by the Cape High Court has upheld the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's allocation of the long-term fishing rights in the hake deep sea trawl sector of the fishing industry.Posted by StaffWriter at 7:12 AM
March 10, 2008
BEE must factor in export deals
Company black empowerment levels must be considered before firms benefit from international export agreements, Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana said on Friday.Posted by StaffWriter at 1:48 PM
Agriculture industry bridles at BEE attack
If the 12 white males who accompanied agriculture and land affairs minister Lulu Xingwana to China were the best South Africa had to offer to enhance export interest and economic growth potential, then so be it, Johan Pienaar, the deputy executive director of AgriSA, said on Friday.Posted by StaffWriter at 10:29 AM
March 7, 2008
Farmers say yes to BEE...but
"I think 80 - 90% of farmers would say yes to black economic empowerment today," says Montagu farmer Neel Joubert.Posted by StaffWriter at 1:41 PM
February 14, 2008
SA govt to fast track land redistribution
Government will accelerate plans to distribute five million hectares of agricultural land among 10 000 new landowners. Social Development Minister, Zola Skweyiya, made the announcement at a media briefing in Parliament.Posted by StaffWriter at 7:15 AM
January 31, 2008
Better season for SA's farmers
The profitability of South Africa's agricultural businesses rose by a significant 24% last year, mainly as a result of increased turnovers and improved management styles, the PricewaterhouseCoopers Agribusiness Benchmarking Survey finds.Posted by StaffWriter at 7:17 AM
January 10, 2008
New R17m project - Fish Farming
SOUTH AFRICA's biggest ever fish farming project is being planned at the mouth of the Berg River, Velddrif on the Cape's West Coast.Posted by StaffWriter at 8:27 AM
December 13, 2007
Farmers grow BEE credentials
Despite taking commendable steps to initiate black economic empowerment in the agricultural sector, a host of challenges and deficiencies needed to be tackled , the Industrial Development Corporation said yesterday.Posted by StaffWriter at 12:12 PM
Country Foods in BEE deal
AltX-listed mushroom, fruit and vegetable distributor Country Foods has sold just over 4% of its issued share capital to Kagiso Trust for R5.5m in an empowerment deal.
Posted by StaffWriter at 7:17 AM
December 12, 2007
BEE in agriculture needs work
Despite commendable steps for initiating broad-based black economic empowerment within the agricultural sector, a host of challenges and deficiencies need to be addressed, the Industrial Development Corporation said on Wednesday.Posted by StaffWriter at 12:14 PM
November 19, 2007
FNB-USAID R300m boost for emerging farmers
The drive to empower South Africa's black farmers through access to finance received a shot in the arm Friday, with the signing of a R300 million deal between First National Bank (FNB) and USAID to boost emerging agriculture.Posted by StaffWriter at 12:04 PM
November 6, 2007
BEE boost for citrus packing giant
SOUTH Africa's largest citrus packing operation, the Sunday's River Citrus Company, is on its way to transformation thanks to a R26-million injection from the government.Posted by StaffWriter at 2:15 PM
November 1, 2007
Black farmers get cash boost
Black dairy farmers in the Free State on Wednesday received an infrastructure injection of R4-million.Posted by StaffWriter at 11:56 AM
August 5, 2005
Farmers, govt to work on BEE
Successful black economic empowerment (BEE) in agriculture would end with few differences ...
Posted by bernievn at 3:35 PM
April 11, 2005
Farmers ploughed up over BEE deadline
ORGANISED agriculture has warned that government’s controversial empowerment blueprint...
Posted by bernievn at 1:38 PM
March 15, 2005
Farmers union looks to BEE deal
The National African Farmers Union (Nafu) is looking to complete a ...
Posted by bernievn at 6:18 PM
Communist party calls for land reform
It will take a hundred years to transfer 30% of agricultural land ...
Posted by bernievn at 6:11 PM
February 25, 2005
Marshoff adamant on BEE in agricultural sector
Beatrice Marshoff, the Free State premier ...
Posted by bernievn at 9:44 AM
February 1, 2005
Agri SA reaffirms commitment to BEE, but differs on 'official' ...
Cape Town - Agri South Africa yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to black economic empowerment in agriculture (agriBEE), saying Agri SA and its members were already promoting it in practice...
Posted by bernievn at 9:07 AM
January 16, 2005
Afgri moves on BEE appointments
Durban - After clinching a black economic empowerment (BEE) deal late last year, agricultural giant Afgri is forging ahead with the appointment ...
Posted by bernievn at 9:59 AM
January 11, 2005
Year 2004 was a dry season for the farming industry
...The last year saw the launch of the draft framework for black economic empowerment (BEE) in the agricultural sector...
Posted by bernievn at 11:43 AM
December 16, 2004
Free State farmers set to sue govt
Bloemfontein - Farmers were prepared to take the government to court...
Posted by bernievn at 11:56 AM
December 3, 2004
Agri-BEE framework launched in Mpumalanga
Agricultural unions and associations in Mpumalanga have welcomed the launch of the Agri-Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) framework in the province ...
Posted by bernievn at 3:46 PM
Fawu threatens to take action over Afgri's BEE deal
The Food and Allied Workers' Union (Fawu), which has slammed a R502 million deal ...
Posted by bernievn at 3:41 PM