Agribook Agriculture Weekly: Important Farming News You Might Have Missed (Issue 4.11)

A look at some items of interest to the agricultural value chain for the week ending 11 April.

By Craig Macaskill

Posted 2020-04-11

In Blog

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash.

We found the following of interest to the agricultural value chain this past week:

International:

In the midst of the national Covid-19 lockdown which is expected to exact a heavy toll on economic growth and jobs, the FreshPlaza article that blueberry exports for 2019/2020 grew by more than 50% on the previous year is good news.
The Tralac (Trade Law Centre) April newsletter touches on the many trade issues that come to the fore because of Covid-19. Read blogs like “Recovery from the Economic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: What Role for Trade?” and “COVID-19 impact on investment in Africa”. Its COVID-19 Resources Page includes documents like SADC Guidelines on Cross-Border Transport during COVID-19.
Included in the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)‘s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAO) this week was “South Africa: The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Imports of Livestock and on Port Productivity“.

National:

A few days into the Covid-19 Lockdown, the Institute for for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) published “Food in the time of the coronavirus: Why we should be very, very afraid“. It was a plea for a more pro-poor approach to supplying food during this time. We summarised the main recommendations in “The Case for Small-scale Producers and the Informal Food Value Chain during the Covid-19 Lockdown“.
A change happened soon after the PLAAS article, government announcing that spaza shops and informal food vendors would be allowed to operate. Eusebius McKaiser’s show on 702 facilitated a discussion on relaxed lockdown regulations for informal traders. Find the overview at www.702.co.za/articles/380268/how-is-the-lockdown-affecting-informal-traders-and-spaza-shop-owners
The Department of Small Business Development has issued regulations pertaining to the operation of SMME’s operating grocery stores during the lockdown. See https://mcusercontent.com/7af202f977bc5dbad675398d7/files/be8404bb-c4ca-4f2b-84c0-bbbdf7ce7620/SmallBusDevelopment.pdf.
Oribi Village, the Southern Africa Food Labs, and the Wakanda Food Incubator have joined forces in the #BridgingTheGaps challenge, to proactively address and reshape how we produce, distribute, process, and consume food. Visit www.oribivillage.com for more information on the challenge.

Financial help for farmers:

Government announced financial aid, but only to small-scale producers, again revealing the dichotomy of South African agriculture. Criticism came from some quarters. Commercial farmers will need to look elsewhere for support (some listed in our “Support Programmes for Businesses during Covid-19 Lockdown” blog). The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Developmnent Circular No. 30 of 2020, which announced who qualifies for help, can be found on the Agbiz website at here. Application forms can be downloaded at www.dalrrd.gov.za.
The Southern African Agricultural Initiative (Saai) created a platform for these small-scale farmers to access this aid. Find the link at “Online application platform for CADS Fund now available“.

Advice to producers:

SAPPO refers us to the international website www.pigprogress.net for the article “3 key strategies for pig farms in times of Covid-19” [it actually applies to any livestock]. These strategies are fleshed out (1) Practice basic biosecurity protocols (2) Practice social distancing, and (3) Protect the pigs.
Landbouweekblad has the article “Raad met vervoer van werers, higienemaatrees“, which looks at advice and practical steps to take in ensuring the safety of workers. It includes photographs of a bus with every second seat with a plastic seal around it, and marks on a floor where people should stand to encourage social distancing.
The Department of Employment and Labour are still conducting inspections at the sites of employers who are performing essential services during the lockdown. NEASA (National Employers’ Association of South Africa) published the checklist used by the Department to assist employers to ensure that they are compliant with health and safety requirements. The unannounced visits by officials to farm enterprises who had been obliged to turn visitor (or exporter) away caused unhappiness. The insistence by some officials that face masks with “very specific manufacturing requirements” be worn was seen as pedantic in a time “of of mask shortages when home-sewn masks would also provide protection”. Find the story in “South Africa: Pace of loading at ports expected to pick up“

Craig Macaskill

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