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The last issue of 2021, which is a double issue of Farmer’s Weekly, takes a look at various stories that made news headlines this year.

These stories include tropical storm Eloise, which caused widespread damage to crops in southern African countries.

Also, the Land Bank made news headlines this year after it suffered huge financial losses. News articles looked at how the bank addressed this issue throughout the year to try and bring it to a point where it could not only service its current clients, but also take on new clients.

Furthermore, Erasmus adds that a lot has been happening in Parliament this year in terms of policies around water use licenses, as well as the process of the Constitution Amendment Bill, regarding Section 25 of the Constitution and the expropriation of land without compensation.

“We also reported a lot this year on issues that export farmers experienced with infrastructure, bad roads and lots of problems at our country’s ports which was exacerbated by the impact that Covid-19 still had on international trade.

“During the second part of the year, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development appointed a Director-General, Mooketsa Ramasodi,” Erasmus further adds.

She concludes by highlighting the increased fuel and fertilizer prices, amongst other high input costs, that has a negative impact on the farming community.

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