June 5: a new marker
June 5 2016 is the first International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU).
Juicy maggots
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-06-05 In Blog There are places in the world where people eat insects, yes … But why not feed insects to the usual livestock – fish, chickens and so on? AgriProtein, a South African company, and others in the USA, France and Canada are going into the farming of flies full […]
Strong growth trajectory for robust macadamia industry
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-05-25 In Blog Valley Macadamia Chairman, Alan Sutton, attended the macadamia round table session at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Conference in Spain. Sutton gave feedback on the INC’s annual report and discussed a number of pertinent facts and figures, as well as new marketing and advertising campaigns proposed for […]
Nampo – making its acquaintance
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-05-16 In Blog Today the Nampo show grounds outside Bothaville will be buzzing with activity as the hundreds of exhibitors prepare for the largest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere this week. Nampo Park from the air, looking towards the northern gate. From Tuesday to Friday the open field to the […]
Diesel Refund Reforms Promise Welcome Relief to SA Farmers
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-04-24 In Blog Press release South Africa – The promised reforms to the current Diesel Tax Refund system promise welcome relief to struggling SA farmers. Whilst nothing has been confirmed by Treasury as yet, the diesel tax refund system and its administration are set for an overhaul which will see a reduction […]
Young black farmers
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-04-16 In Blog In an article which appeared in The Conversation last week, Mnqobu Ngubane looked at the obstacles facing a young black farmer. He interviewed aspiring farmer Lonwabo Jwili, who bought a piece of land near Johannesburg. Jwili speaks of the three challenges for young farmers. These are access to information, finance and markets. Information: […]
Food safety and traceability
Introduction Food is a dynamic substance which changes with time and through exposure to different temperatures, storage conditions and processing methods. Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the production, harvesting, handling, processing, preparation and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of procedures and practices that should be followed […]
Perhaps they’ll listen now
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-03-27 In Blog The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) released a statement in 2015: “Pigs scream in ‘ínhumane’ gas pits before slaughter“. Sounds dramatic. What was the commotion about? It is usual practice in abattoirs to stun an animal before slaughter. This renders the beast unconscious before it is dispatched. (Of course inefficiency here […]
Speciality fertilisers: Soygro before parliamentary committee
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2018-03-20 In Blog Addressing the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Tim Odendaal, Soygro Director, said Soygro produces biological products for agricultural purposes, not chemicals. Soygro produces fresh inoculants. Imported inoculants are old and carry poor performance. Imported soybean Rhizobium strains contaminate South African soils with inferior inoculants races and reduce yield. […]
Agro-processing
Introduction The “Adding value” section of the Agribook website (of which this page is a part) deals with, well, adding value to the primary agricultural product. This finished product is what the consumer wants and pays money for. Because of this, farmers are often advised to be more involved in the activities that happen beyond […]