Can the agriculture sector overcome some of the hurdles in its way in 2023?
Farmer's Weekly|Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023
POLICY PERSPECTIVE
Theo Boshoff
Can the agriculture sector overcome some of the hurdles in its way in 2023?

January is traditionally a time when commentators provide their outlooks for the year ahead. However, the view for 2023 is about as unpredictable as the schedule for rolling blackouts, which is no surprise, as the two are inextricably linked. 

The agriculture sector had an exceptional year in 2020, and again in 2021. In 2022, the positive agricultural conditions prevailed, namely above-average rainfall and high international commodity prices.

However, this strong performance was also hamstrung last year by a multitude of factors, including rising input costs, unsustainable global shipping costs, and a declining business environment brought on by deteriorating service delivery from municipalities, public institutions and network industries.

And this trend has continued into 2023, with uncertain consequences.

UNPREDICTABLE CHALLENGES

To be fair, many of the issues that the agriculture sector faces at present could scarcely be predicted or avoided. For example, the sharp rise in shipping costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war have led to a sharp increase in input costs.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023 من Farmer's Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Farmer's Weekly 3 February 2023 من Farmer's Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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