South Africa’s agriculture has expanded significantly. And yes, we have some challenges, but the sector is resilient. And South Africa’s agricultural exports in 2025 were actually US$15.1 billion, a record level.

Madagascar is in such a worrying state. The natural disasters have put the country in a super terrible place.

We discussed AGOA, foot-and-mouth disease, South Africa-China agricultural trade, and more. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxMJ...

Fellow South Africans, We have foot-and-mouth disease in our cattle industry in various parts of our country. But, there are NO risks to consuming red meat or beef. Our food safety remains intact. Please carry on with your braais, beef stew, etc., folks. Thank you. -wandile

Is there any benefit for South Africa’s agriculture in BRICS? www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFS2...

The worrying drought in parts of the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. open.substack.com/pub/wandile/...

AGRICULTURAL WAGES 🇿🇦 South Africa’s statutory National Minimum Wage for 2026 will increase from R28.79 to R30.23 per hour, taking effect on 1 March 2026. This includes the agricultural workers.

There is a lot of canola in the world market.

The South African farmers likely planted about 2.67 million hectares of maize in the 2025-26 season, up 3% from the previous season. With the nice rains in some regions of the country, we are optimistic that we could have yet another good season. 1/

"Mr Xi has been waging a fierce war against graft since he took power in 2012, jailing thousands of officials and punishing millions of others." -- The Economist

As we continue to receive good rains in most regions of South Africa, and too much rain in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, the southwestern regions of the Eastern Cape remain quite dry, and some agricultural activity is taking a hit. 1/

South Africa's 2025-26 MAIZE plantings are estimated at 2.67 million hectares, up 3% from the previous season. There is an increase in both white and yellow maize. White maize area plantings are 1.64 million hectares, with yellow maize at 1.03 million hectares.

India is on a roll, cutting trade deals left and right. Canada may be the next country now, after the EU trade deal yesterday, and the UK, New Zealand, and Oman last year. We need such momentum, especially in our agricultural sector, which heavily depends on exports.

PODCAST: Ramaphosa’s reassuring commitment to speeding up land reform. www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2026...

WANDILE SIHLOBO| Notes on SA trade from Davos www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2026...

interesting times

South Africa can make meaningful progress on land reform under market-based principles. The State has also acquired some land in the recent past, which has not yet been transferred with title deeds. This should be our starting point. My take: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdsV...

South Africa is a net importer of wheat. We import about half of our annual usage. Last week, January 16, marked the 16th week of the new 2025-26 marketing year. 1/

The African continent’s food markets are more dynamic than commonly thought.

Non-tariff barriers distort agricultural trade open.substack.com/pub/wandile/...

South Africa needs to accelerate the implementation of land reform. Here are some policy considerations. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdsV...

Following the ANC’s January 8th Statement, the President reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accelerating land reform. In this episode, we outline the potential key starting point. You can watch the episode here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdsV...

“South Africa’s unprocessed milk production for December 2025 is estimated at 311 million liters, 0.17% less than in December 2024. But this is 4.03% more than in December 2023.” - Milk South Africa

South Africa's consumer food price inflation stabilised at 4.4% in December 2025, unchanged from November. 1/

The livestock industry accounts for nearly half of South Africa’s farming economy, and the cattle industry is a significant part of that. So, the current outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is a major challenge for farming and poses risks to our farming economy. Vaccination, with speed, is key.

AGOA is essential, and the continuous inclusion of South Africa is key. And yes, the Liberation Day tariffs distort its benefits, but it remains crucial.

South Africa remains with significant maize supplies to continue with exports to the broader African continent and the world. We estimate that we could export about 2.4 million tonnes this year. We are just over half of this expected volume, and the marketing year ends in April.

It is devastating to see the photos of the damage and destruction caused by the recent floods in Limpopo. We still do not have a clear view of the impact of all this on agriculture in the province.

Biosecurity, plant and animal health, is everyone’s responsibility. Let us manage animal movement effectively and be careful in our interactions with livestock. We are now facing serious challenges in the cattle industry: foot-and-mouth disease. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKz7...

We ended 2025 in South Africa’s agriculture on a mixed note — excellent field crops and horticulture, but bleak performance in livestock. We are more optimistic about 2026’s performance, especially if cattle vaccination against foot and mouth disease gains momentum. youtu.be/I1UKAKRKxMM?...

We have a crisis at hand, and I hope we manage to get some success soon open.substack.com/pub/wandile/...

Notes on South Africa’s agricultural conditions open.substack.com/pub/wandile/...

China is set to have a record 301.2 million tonnes of MAIZE in the 2025-26 season, up 2 per cent from last year, and 8 per cent above the 5-year average.

South Africa is not a significant trading partner of Iran. open.substack.com/pub/wandile/...

There is a lot of RICE in the world market. This continuous decline in prices bodes well for rice-importing countries like South Africa.

PODCAST: South Africa’s agricultural outlook for 2026 remains positive www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2026...

My piece in today’s issue of the Sunday Times. 🇿🇦

South Africa’s cherry production in 2025 was at a record 3,006 tonnes. About 58% of cherries are exported, 28% sold on the local market, and the rest are processed. wandilesihlobo.com/2026/01/07/c...

South Africa exported 13,220 tonnes of maize last week. About 55% was exported to Zimbabwe, and the remainder to other countries in the Southern African region. 1/

South Africa Must Elevate BRICS Economic Ambition. wandile.substack.com/p/south-afri...

We have now published 31-episodes of my show, AGRIVIEW. We release new episodes every Thursday. You can view the show here: www.youtube.com/@agriviewwan...

appeared in The Herald

SOUTH AFRICA’S AGRICULTURAL POLICY PRIORITIES FOR 2026. 🇿🇦 www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iql...

South Africa should push for SACU reform to unlock trade flexibility. www.wineland.co.za/south-africa...

The impact of the recent droughts on Brazil's orange juice.

SOUTH AFRICAN CHERRIES 🍒🇿🇦

Maize prices in South Africa are down by over 30% from a year ago. As I have highlighted regularly in this letter, we have an ample maize supply. open.substack.com/pub/wandile/...

Here are the key policy areas the South African government must prioritise to boost its agriculture in 2026. wandile.substack.com/p/here-are-t...