Tag Archives: droogte

Steep jump in petrol price from Wednesday

Cape Town – The price of petrol will increase by 67c a litre from next Wednesday, while the price of diesel will be 44c a litre more, the Department of Energy said on Sunday. Energy Minister Mamoloko Kubayi said the rand/US dollar exchange rate and the prices of petroleum products in the international markets are the main contributing factors for the September price hike. “The Rand depreciated, on average, against the US dollar during the period under review.” In addition, there was an increase in the crude oil prices coupled with a weaker rand, massive floods caused by the storm […]

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SA looks to US for maize imports as local baskets continue to dry up

South Africa may need to import up to five million tonnes of maize – about 50% of its total requirements – according to media reports. And, despite the current uncertainty around SA’s inclusion in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), the country is eyeing major imports from the United States. “We will be lucky if we produce 5 million tonnes this year and then we will need to import 5 million tonnes. This is the sort of scenario that we are looking at,” Jannie de Villiers, chief executive of Grain SA, was cited by Reuters agency as saying. South […]

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Drought could cost SA almost R10bn in food export revenue

The South African economy could potentially take a R9.2-billion knock in export revenue loss for food crops as the drought continues. Citing industry sources, Business Day reports that this figure excludes the drought’s effect on farmers’ income, job losses and any inflationary aftermath. Grain South Africa published on its website recently that the country would have to import 770 000 tonnes of maize until the end of April next year at R2.2bn. The country will also need R1bn worth of wheat imports to make up for shortfalls triggered by drought conditions. In the 2013/2014 financial year, SA produced a bumper […]

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Reën te min en te laat

Die mielie-oesskatting vir die 2015-’16-bemarkingsjaar is 31% laer as verlede seisoen, weens die wydverspreide droogte in Januarie en Februarie. Hoewel reën die laaste paar dae oor die Vrystaat heen uitgesak het, het dit te laat gekom. Verdere reën word ook nie binnekort verwag nie. “Indien dit nou baie sou reën, sou dit in elk geval te laat wees,” sê prof. Kobus Botha, weerkenner. Hy sê ’n redelike kans vir donderbuie oor die provinsie bestaan oor die naweek en Maandag, maar daarna verskraal dit baie. Volgens Botha het reën die laaste tyd kol-kol in die Vrystaat geval. Michael Nethavhani, weervoorspeller in […]

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Droogte

Boere in droogtegeteisterde gebiede in Noordwes kan die seisoen tot ’n 60% kleiner oesopbrengs as normaalweg verwag. Volgens Boeta du Toit, uitvoerende hoofbestuurder van Agri Noordwes, versleg dié situasie by die dag. Plase in die Lichtenburg-, Sannieshof-, Delareyville-, Mareetsane- en Kameel-omgewing word veral erg geraak. “Goeie reën nou gaan nie gewasse red nie, maar dit kan ’n groot verskil maak in winterweiding, want die hitte, min reën en veldbrande het weiding drasties verminder.” Willem Pretorius, wat naby Kameel met grondboontjies en mielies boer, het vandeesweek gesê toestande is kritiek en sommige boere verwag geen oes nie, al kry hulle binnekort […]

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