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This edition looks at this year’s barley season outlook. Erasmus says there is a large crop of barley on the land and farmers in the Western Cape just started to enter the harvest season. Despite this, she adds that at the moment there is a poor outlook for barley demand. This, as the prolonged Covid-19 lockdown regulations, which saw alcoholic beverages banned during some lockdown levels, had a negative effect on the crops' demand.

Erasmus says this week’s issue also takes a look at this year’s Nampo Virtual. She says according to the event’s organisers, Grain SA, the online event attracted about 30 000 visitors. “We’ve got a few pages of articles about the various webinars, seminars and all the activities that took place,” explains Erasmus.

Furthermore, readers can expect to read about the flower industry which is still struggling due to the effects of the coronavirus lockdown. Roleplayers in the flower industry state that business is still down at about 40% compared to this time last year. Erasmus says, however, that the fact that travelling is allowed in South Africa under the current lockdown level, brings a glimmer of hope to the industry.

Also, the Agricultural Business Chamber and the Industrial Development Corporation’s (IDC) business confidence index is showing a slight increase in South Africa, which might indicate that the sentiment in the country is turning towards the positive for the local agricultural sector.

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