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In the news section of Farmer’s Weekly this week, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has lifted the suspension of the Presidential Employment Stimulus vouchers. These vouchers were initially suspended following reports of mismanagement and abuse of the system.

Ryan adds that some of these allegations included that suppliers of agricultural inputs were charging farmers additional fees of up to a 27% increase to their products. The department maintains that these issues have now been sorted out and therefore the vouchers are now available again.

Another news story takes a look at this year’s Nampo Harvest Day. The date for the event has been set in May in Bothaville. This follows after Nampo was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Grain SA was hoping that government would lift the State of Emergency before a final decision was made regarding the event. Ryan adds that the exhibition space at Nampo Park is currently fully booked.

Meanwhile, Bloem Show is also going full steam ahead, with the event kicking off on 27 April until 7 May.

This edition also takes a look at the fall in pork prices in South Africa which is due to a number of market disruptions. The South African Pork Producers Organisation (SAPPO) says between 1 January and 3 February this year, pork prices fell from an average R28,39/kg to R24,54/kg. Ryan explains that this is partly due to the closure of a vacant factory in Gauteng as well as a weakened economy and new entrants entering the market.

Furthermore, Conrad Fick of Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing describes the 2022 prune fruit marketing season as one of the most complex in years. He says that this can be attributed to various challenges that the industry is facing. Challenges include container shortages and shipping costs. Ryan says that the Russia-Ukraine unrest is also hampering trade to these regions.

OFM News