South African News
Trump's Tariffs Threaten South African Citrus Industry, Including White Farmers He Once Backed
A looming 30% US tariff on South African agricultural exports, effective from 1 August, is expected to severely impact the country’s citrus industry—ironically harming the very white farmers President Donald Trump has publicly supported. While Trump has previously decried alleged persecution of white South Africans and offered refuge in the US, his new trade measures undermine their economic viability at home. South Africa, the world’s second-largest citrus exporter, relies on the US for $100 million in annual trade. The Citrus Growers’ Association warns the tariffs could lead to bankruptcies and threaten around 35,000 jobs in Citrusdal alone.
Read full story: Reuters
Date Published: July 10, 2025
R7.6bn Agriculture Budget Targets Food Security, Export Growth, and Biosecurity Challenges
South Africa’s newly autonomous Department of Agriculture (DoA) has tabled a R7.6 billion budget for 2025/26, focused on local development and agricultural export growth. Minister John Steenhuisen stressed the urgency of tackling food insecurity—affecting nearly two-thirds of households—through farmer training, school gardens, and support for underutilised crops. Budget allocations also address biosecurity threats, with plans to curb diseases like avian influenza and foot-and-mouth through national coordination and vaccine deployment. On the global front, agricultural exports hit a record R258 billion in 2024, with further gains expected despite concerns over recently announced US tariffs.
Read full story: Farmer’s Weekly
Date Published: July 9, 2025
African News
Africa’s Farmland Expansion Outpaces the World but Drives Major Deforestation
Africa accounted for 96% of global farmland expansion between 2001 and 2023, adding 75 million hectares—mainly for temporary crops like maize and cassava, as well as cash crops such as cocoa and oil palm. This growth has helped address rising food demand across Sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture contributes 17% to GDP and employs nearly half the workforce. However, it has come at the cost of widespread deforestation, with 82 million hectares of forest lost over the same period. The FAO warns that unless sustainable farming practices are adopted, Africa risks undermining its agricultural future by degrading vital ecosystems.
Read full story: Ecofin Agency
Date Published: July 10, 2025
Global News
India Convenes Emergency Meeting as Cotton Yields Decline and TSV Virus Threatens Crop
India's Union Agriculture Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has called an urgent national meeting in Coimbatore on 11 July to address falling cotton productivity and the emerging threat of the TSV virus impacting Bt cotton. Between 2020–21 and 2024–25, cotton cultivation shrank from 132.86 to 112.30 lakh hectares, with production also declining at a rate of -3.40% CAGR. While yield per hectare has seen slight improvement, it has not compensated for reduced acreage. The upcoming consultation will involve key stakeholders to chart a path toward resilient, high-quality cotton production and virus mitigation strategies.
Read full story: Global Agriculture
Date Published: July 10, 2025
Illegal Pesticide Use Surges Across Europe as Farmers Battle Rising Costs
Europe is facing a sharp rise in the use of illegal pesticides, with up to 14% of those used in EU agriculture now banned or counterfeit—rising to 25% in parts of Greece. Struggling with high input costs and climate challenges, many Greek farmers are turning to unlabelled, smuggled chemicals from countries like Bulgaria and Turkey. These substances, often more potent and cheaper, pose significant health and environmental risks. Europol seized a record 2,040 tonnes of illegal pesticides in 2022. Farmers say they feel forced into illegality to survive, as legal pesticides become increasingly unaffordable.
Read full story: Reuters
Date Published: July 10, 2025
Maharashtra’s Farmer Suicide Crisis Deepens Amid Debt, Neglect, and Bureaucratic Apathy
Between January and March 2025, 767 farmers in Maharashtra died by suicide, with the toll rising to 869 by April—figures that expose a growing rural catastrophe. Concentrated in the drought-hit regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada, the crisis is driven by mounting debt, crop failure, and systemic neglect. Despite promises, state aid remains paltry and inaccessible to many, particularly women, Dalits, and tenant farmers. Only 327 families received compensation out of 767 deaths. With input costs high and crop prices collapsing, many farmers feel abandoned. Activists call it “state-sanctioned murder”, as suicides continue at a rate of 7–8 per day.
Read full story: Sabrang India
Date Published: July 9, 2025
Australian Farmer Develops Low-Maintenance Sheep to Tackle Labour Shortages and Boost Profit
With the number of Australian farmers falling by over 22% since 2006, producers like Leo Tompkins in New South Wales are crossbreeding sheep to create low-maintenance, high-profit animals. By combining breeds such as Wiltshire Horn, Damara, and Finnsheep—known for shedding coats, high fertility, and short tails—Tompkins aims to reduce the need for shearing and mulesing, while increasing productivity. Labour shortages and rising costs have driven a wider industry shift toward easy-care sheep, with growing interest in traits like shedding and breech smoothness. These innovations are intended to help struggling producers maintain viable operations in increasingly tough conditions.
Read full story: ABC News
Date Published: July 10, 2025
