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South Africa’s poultry industry is hoping for a breakthrough in exports this year, with EU inspections in May potentially opening doors for cooked chicken exports.

South Africa’s agricultural sector should prioritise fixing local challenges like infrastructure and crime over being distracted by global trade risks, says agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.

Millions of poor South Africans would suffer if value added tax is increased, said FairPlay founder Francois Baird.

South Africa’s presidency of the G20 group of countries could be a defining moment for the country’s agricultural sector, according to agricultural economist Thulasizwe Mkhabela.

Rainbow CEO Marthinus Stander used the company announcement to further his argument that cheaper chicken results from the economies of scale of South Africa’s large poultry producers.

Brazil is likely to benefit more than any other country from increasing global demand for chicken, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

China should be a priority for increased South African agricultural exports, according to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.

There is a glimmer of hope that South Africa’s agriculture department might modify its bird flu vaccination requirements, addressing concerns that they are overly restrictive and costly.

Rainbow has urged the South African government to reconsider the onerous requirements which are preventing the start of a bird flu vaccination programme.

More South Africans are experiencing higher levels of food insecurity, according to the latest report by Statistics SA (StatsSA).

While the South African government refuses to compensate chicken farmers for bird flu culls, and places obstacles in the way of a vaccination programme, the United States has pledged an additional $1 billion (R19 billion) to combat the virus there.

South Africa’s food price inflation slowed again in January, despite the reweighting and updating of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.

The South African government attributes the 52 930 jobs retained by the poultry industry in recent years to the success of the first phase of the country’s poultry master plan.

South African agricultural exports rose 3% to a record $13.7 billion last year, led by shipments of citrus fruit and grapes, according to the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz).

Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen says he is not aware of a single South African farmer accepting President Trump’s offer to relocate to the United States.

The South African poultry industry has once again urged the government to intervene to overcome the obstacles set up by the Department of Agriculture to a bird flu vaccination programme.

South African consumers have been left wondering whether the government’s plan to make more food items free of value added […]

South Africa’s sugar industry is interested in turning a shuttered oil refinery into a plant producing fuel ethanol from sugar cane.

The loss of South Africa’s preferential trade access to the United States would hurt South African agriculture, but it would not be disastrous, according to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.

South Africa should not panic about the potential loss of its AGOA trade benefits, but plan an orderly exit from the United States legislative arrangement, according to trade advisor Donald MacKay.

The government should use the delay in announcing this year’s Budget to provide for the removal of value added tax (VAT) from chicken products in next month’s revised Budget proposals, according to FairPlay founder Francois Baird.

The chicken industry is one of the successes of South African agriculture over the past 30 years, according to a study by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP).

Numerous plans to boost black farmers had failed over the past three decades, a BFAP report said. Instead of implementing plans properly, new plans were devised and failed, for the same reason.

South Africa’s department of agriculture appears to have supplied a misleading response to a local newspaper, implying that the government compensates poultry farmers for chickens culled during bird flu outbreaks.

South Africa’s steel and citrus industries have a lot to lose if the United States ends tax-free access to the US market under its AGOA legislation.

With South Africa’s duty-free access to US markets under AGOA at risk, the government is reportedly preparing to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with the Trump administration to secure key export and import terms.

Nearly six years after its launch, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) has yet to reshape trade on the continent, with unresolved tariff rules and origin regulations delaying progress.

Rainbow welcomed officials from the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC) and the Department of Agriculture, showcasing its operations and highlighting the poultry sector’s crucial role in food security, economic growth, and local industry development.

South Africa’s agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, has outlined his plans to strengthen the agricultural sector, including a strong focus on exports.

The South African poultry industry has appealed to the government to allow a “practical, effective and affordable” vaccination programme against bird flu to avert another financial and food security crisis.

Many other countries have removed value added tax (VAT) from chicken – so why can’t South Africa do the same?

Tax consulting firm AJM speculates that VAT-free chicken could be included South Africa’s annual Budget later this month.

South Africa faced a new reality this week – hostility from US President Donald Trump turned into an executive order halting all US foreign aid and assistance, and offering refuge to South Africa’s supposedly beleaguered Afrikaner farmers.