The livestock and poultry industry has had a difficult past few years. A variety of external shocks made for a challenging operating environment for many farmers and agribusinesses. These shocks included animal diseases and rising input costs, such as yellow maize and soya bean prices.
While the spread of diseases may be slowing, and organised agriculture and government continue to collaborate to address biosecurity risks, concerns about renewed increases in animal feed prices persist. This is particularly the case in the expected El Niño period, which might result in a lower harvest compared with recent seasons of bumper crops.
The livestock and poultry sector hardly enjoyed the gains of a large domestic harvest of the past two seasons because this did not bring any meaningful reduction in feed prices. For example, since December 2020, yellow maize prices have broadly traded over R3 000/t, while soya bean has generally been over R5 000/t. This has been a different experience compared with prior seasons where large harvests led to a decline to much lower feed prices than we observed in the past two years.
The major reasons for this were higher global maize and soya bean prices on the back of drought in South America, rising demand in China, COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Denne historien er fra July 28, 2023-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra July 28, 2023-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
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Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
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I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
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In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
