South African News
South Africa’s Sugar Industry Secures Competition Law Exemptions to Boost Sustainability and Diversification
South Africa’s R25 billion sugarcane industry, which supports one million livelihoods, has been granted a five-year block exemption from certain provisions of the Competition Act. The exemption allows controlled collaboration between growers, producers and downstream users to implement Phase 2 of the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan. This includes joint efforts on price methodology, volume commitments and diversification into new products such as sustainable aviation fuels. While end-consumer price fixing remains prohibited, the exemption aims to strengthen local market commitments, support transformation, and protect small-scale growers from global competition and volatile markets.
Read full story: African Farming
Date Published: August 18, 2025
Sappi Finalises Sale of Lomati Sawmill to Normandien Farms
Sappi Southern Africa has received Competition Commission approval for the sale of its Lomati Sawmill to Normandien Farms, with the handover scheduled for 1 September 2025. The transaction, approved without conditions, ensures the transfer of Lomati as a going concern, safeguarding all existing jobs. Normandien, which operates sawmilling under Tekwani and owns the Thirsti bottled water brand, will drive future growth and transformation of the business. Sappi says the sale aligns with its strategy to focus on core operations in dissolving wood pulp and containerboard while continuing to support the Mpumalanga region and the Umjindi community.
Read full story: Sappi
Date Published: August 18, 2025
African News
Study Finds Social Networks Buffer Mental Health Impacts of Drought on Ghanaian Farmers
A new study in Ghana’s Upper East region has revealed that drought not only devastates crops and livestock but also severely affects farmers’ mental health, heightening depression, anxiety and stress. Researchers surveyed 507 farmers in the Talensi district and found that prolonged drought was strongly linked to psychological distress, with some reporting hopelessness, insomnia and even suicidal thoughts. However, farmers with strong social support networks fared better, as personal social capital provided emotional and practical resilience. The study urges policymakers to integrate mental health support into climate adaptation strategies, highlighting community networks as vital tools for resilience.
Read full story: All Africa
Date Published: August 18, 2025
Global News
Singrow Raises $4.5 Million to Scale Climate-Resilient Strawberries and Circular Farming Model
Singapore-based agritech company Singrow has secured $4.5 million in Series A funding to expand its seed genetics, vertical farming, and reverse genetics breeding platform across Asia and beyond. The company, founded in 2019, is best known for developing climate-resilient strawberries that thrive in tropical heat, with trial plantings in Singapore, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Singrow is also pioneering a circular farming model that pairs mushroom and strawberry production, recycling CO₂ emissions from mushrooms to boost strawberry growth. With new facilities planned in Singapore, Houston and Asia, Singrow is preparing for a Series B raise to enter additional markets.
Read full story: AgFunderNews
Date Published: August 18, 2025
Canadian Wheat, Canola and Peas Found to Have World-Leading Low Carbon Footprints
A new UBC Okanagan study published in Nature Food has revealed that Canadian-grown wheat, canola and peas have some of the lowest carbon footprints globally, even outperforming European crops after accounting for transatlantic shipping. The research found that prairie soils store more carbon than they release, thanks to decades of low and no-till farming and reduced nitrous oxide emissions. By contrast, heavier farming methods and less favourable soils abroad increase emissions. The findings challenge the idea that “local is always lower-carbon” and position Canadian crops as competitive low-emission options in sustainability-conscious global markets.
Read full story: UBC Okanagan
Date Published: August 18, 2025
Brazil Suspends Soy Moratorium, Orders Probe into Global Grain Traders
Brazil’s competition regulator CADE has suspended the 18-year-old soy moratorium, a pact preventing traders from buying soy grown on Amazon land cleared after 2008, citing potential breaches of competition law. Grain giants including Cargill, Bunge, ADM, Louis Dreyfus and Cofco now face investigation over the sharing of commercially sensitive data. Farmers hailed the move as “historic,” claiming the agreement unfairly restricted trade, while environmental groups condemned it as a setback that risks fuelling deforestation. Exporter groups Anec and Abiove have vowed to appeal, arguing the pact is a vital multi-sector tool for protecting the Amazon.
Read full story: Reuters https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/brazil-regulator-suspends-soy-moratorium-orders-probe-exporters-2025-08-18/
Date Published: August 19, 2025
Cattle Industry on Alert as New World Screwworm Nears US Border
The cattle industry is raising alarm over the spread of the New World Screwworm, now detected just 370 miles from the US border. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard warns the pest, once contained in Panama, has been advancing north since an outbreak declared there in 2022, with illegal cattle trafficking suspected of accelerating its spread. Current defences, including sterile fly releases, are insufficient to halt its movement. Bullard stresses that controlling the pest requires coordinated US-Mexico action and ultimately pushing it back below Panama to safeguard North American livestock and prevent severe economic and animal health impacts.
Read full story: Ag Info
Date Published: August 19, 2025
