Agriculture
Daniel Stevens explores why crop insurance is an essential tool in maintaining agricultural operations and production.
Agriculture
Biodiversity and economic issues have taken center stage in South African agriculture. Recently, Locust damage and Foot and Mouth Disease temporarily distorted trade. Additionally, , the Ukraine-Russia conflict has increased input costs resulting in farmers switching from maize to soybeans.
Agriculture
Potholes and poorly maintained roads threaten the livelihoods of countless South African farmers who are an integral part of the country's food supply.
Agriculture
Approximately 11% (6.5 million) of South Africa’s population is food insecure. While the effects of the pandemic exacerbated this insecurity, the country has been in a hunger crisis for many years, driven by instability, poverty, and an increasing population, and changing climate.
Agriculture
Earlier this year, a Grain SA survey indicated that 22% of grain producers in South Africa had lost more than 60% of their white maize plantings to water damage in 2022.
Agriculture
South Africans love eating chicken. In fact, they consume more poultry products annually than all other animal protein sources combined. Although highly profitable, poultry farming is a highly technical business and prone to many perils.
Agriculture
Regular load-shedding is wreaking havoc in South Africa’s agricultural sector, with farmers bracing themselves for the impact of ongoing interrupted power on production schedules, revenue, sensitive electronic equipment, and crime. This means many Santam AGRI policyholders are raising questions regarding what their cover includes.
Agriculture
Santam is collaborating with organised agriculture to identify talented farmers in South Africa and provide them with tailor-made training.
Agriculture
Thanks to extreme weather conditions, the lack of maintenance and a significant increase in heavy vehicles using our roads, potholes have become a significant challenge on our country’s roads. 2009/2010, in particular, saw a sizeable increase in potholes due to heavy rainfall during the summertime.
Agriculture
A 2019 survey found just 24% of South African farmers are hosting some form of agritourism on their farms.
Agriculture
The 2021-‘22 wine grape season has been a successful albeit expensive one thus far. Production is expected to be somewhat lower than last season’s almost 1,46 million tons, but still above the five-year average of 1,34 million tons.
Agriculture
Santam, donated R100 000 to the Agri SA Disaster Relief Foundation to mobilise aerial assistance in the Northern Cape to control large-scale locust outbreaks.
Agriculture
There are few things that farmers dread more than that column of grey-white smoke appearing on the horizon on a dry, windy day. The fear and the very real danger of veld fires can never be over-estimated.
Agriculture
Above average rainfall expected for December and first part of January for the Summer Rainfall Area and further rain for the Winter Rainfall Area in the first part of December.
Agriculture
October is characterised by the start of the summer rainfall season although rain also occurred in the Winter Rainfall Area.
Agriculture
The insurance industry has a major role to play in protecting clients and businesses from losses that are diversifiable.
Agriculture
The probability for La Nina to occur increased to about 80% and to last from October 2021 to March 2022.
Agriculture
The Young Farmers Competition provides a platform for farmers under the age of 35 to hone their skills by exposing them to a range of cutting-edge methodologies.
Agriculture
Despite a myriad of setbacks caused by Covid-19, optimism in South Africa’s agricultural value chain recently reached a six-year high.
Agriculture
Santam Agriculture has a thorough understanding of liability cover and claims handling in respect of veld fires and compliance with the National Veld and Forest Fire Act of 1998.
Agriculture
La Nina weakened rapidly in March resulting in less favourable summer rainfall conditions but improved conditions for winter rainfall in the south western parts of the country. Rain in Summer Rainfall area still possible in the last week of April.
Agriculture
La Nina reached maturity and will remain at La Nina levels until about April 2021. Longer term outlooks are still positive for further rain in February and March for most of the Summer Rainfall Region.
Agriculture
The winter of 2020 continued and frost damage occurred in the last week of September. Below average temperatures are still possible until the end of October but frost is not expected any more for this season.
Agriculture
Areas that intermediaries and agribusinesses should consider to keep this R109.5 billion sector protected and thriving.
Agriculture
The winter of 2020 will probably be remembered for the Covit-19 lockdown and secondly for very cold conditions.
Agriculture
Above average rainfall conditions in the last part of summer and autumn assisted in favourable summer crop production conditions in the central to western parts of the summer cropping area.
Agriculture
Farming today differs significantly from that of a few years ago. The 4th Industrial Revolution, together with the Internet of things, has introduced major technological advancements to precision farming.
Agriculture
As a dedicated partner in agriculture, one of Santam Agriculture’s goals is to guarantee both stability and sustainability in all agricultural practices.
Agriculture
Santam Agriculture has a responsibility to help stimulate a positive environment for farmers, organised agriculture, and agri-businesses in South Africa.
Agriculture
Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer, and Sanlam, Africa’s largest non-banking financial services business, have collectively donated R3 million towards aid relief for farming communities.
Agriculture
Silage – an ancient agricultural practice – is not only the most cost-effective way for farmers to ensure animals have high-energy, nutrient-rich feed all year-round, especially in regions with seasonal rainfall.
Agriculture
El Nino is still present but may change to neutral in coming winter months and summer of 2019/20. Probable late start to summer rain again. More favourable for Winter Rainfall Regions in next months.
Agriculture
In 2018, Nceba Jakavula – age 47 – got six chickens from his grandmother Mpafi and decided to be a chicken farmer. “I saw a need to sell free-range, organic eggs, with a ‘nest-to-mouth’ approach. That’s what differentiates me from my competitors.” Jakavula says the journey has been a challenging one, with his lack of experience making it a high-risk endeavour.