WANDILE SIHLOBO: Slight pullback hides the truth that agriculture remains strong
Its resilience ensured food security and job creation in spite of intensified geopolitical issues
07 December 2022 - 05:20
We are nearing the end of a challenging year for SA agriculture. The sector’s gross value added is likely to show a mild contraction when the data for the entire year is published by March. This would be a notable shift from two consecutive years of solid growth, with the sector having expanded almost 15% year on year in 2020 and 8.8% in 2021.
Mild declines in critical crop harvests such as maize, production challenges in the sugar industry, trade friction in fruits, vegetables, beef and wool, as well as widespread foot-and-mouth disease, weighed on the sector’s performance this year...
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