Ryan says the industry is growing slowly, but producers are of the opinion that the industry has a bright future.

Wihan Coetser of Amber-moon Snails based in White River, Mpumalanga, says the expansion of snail production is slow but consistent. The industry is also still small in South Africa, with farmers rarely having more than two hectares under production.

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Coetser adds that the industry needs a lot of capital investment to take farmers to 10 hectares.

Snails are mostly produced for their slime, which is used as a by-product in cosmetic products. The market for snail meat in South Africa is still very small, with Coetser saying that targeting markets in the Far East would be more lucrative.

Another news story takes a look at a new study in Botswana that has confirmed that Fall Army Worm continues to be a major threat to food security in the country. The worm was first detected in 2017.

Ryan shares that researchers from several institutions collaborated to establish the impact of fall army worm on the agricultural sector in Botswana.

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According to the study, 75% of the farmers who participated had detected the worm on their farms, with infestations affecting about half of the area planted to maize and sorghum.

The researches also noted that the pest had been reported to attack more than 350 plant species, adding that its larvae usually consumes large parts of the plants.

It prefers maize, sorghum and millet, which are the principal crops planted in Botswana and several other countries in Africa.

The South African canning season, which is off to a good start, is also looked at in this week’s edition.

Ryan explains that the Jacques Jordaan, CEO of the Canning Fruit Producers' Association, says while winter rainfall had been below the long-term average in most production regions, most dams are still at acceptable levels.

However, farmers in the Ceres region had expressed concern that they might not have sufficient water for late cling peach varieties until the end of the season.

OFM News