According to Parliament, this joint oversight is aimed at, amongst others, improving the living and working conditions of farm workers, farm dwellers and farmers. OFM News previously reported that an oversight visit to the Free State by the two committees ended with a public hearing on the working and living conditions of farm workers in the province. OFM News' Tshehla Koteli reported that the visit came after various stakeholders informed the committee that the reality of agricultural work is a harsh one.

Fertiliser prices have declined by 5% since April this year. This means that farmers can look forward to significantly low fertiliser prices when the planting season for the summer rainfall areas starts in spring. According to Janine Ryan, the editor of Farmer's Weekly, despite this decline, fertiliser prices are still higher than a year ago. She says indications were of a recovery of a global fertiliser industry, which could mean a further decrease in the price of fertilisers. High fertiliser prices made agricultural headlines these past few months, with North-West University Economics Professor, Waldo Krugell, reporting in May that fertiliser prices increased by up to 50% this year.

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Maize and sunflower farmers are concerned about persistent rain over parts of the country. eNCA reports they believe it will affect this year's yield. The industry says it usually experiences this type of weather in summer. The unseasonal wet winter is having a detrimental impact on the quality of crops. Sunflower is now being affected by sclerotinia disease. Friedl von Maltitz, vice president of Free State Agriculture, previously told OFM News that some farmers in the Ficksburg area in the province are experiencing challenges with harvesting maize due to wet fields. He says farmers are concerned that the crop might be downgraded, which will have an impact on their income. However, there is some good news for consumers. Grain SA's CEO, Pieter Taljaard, says consumers will not be affected as there is enough maize in the channel.

OFM News