South African News
North West Expands Crop Massification Drive with 6,000-Hectare Planting Target
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has committed to cultivating 6,000 hectares across the province as part of its Crop Massification Programme, aimed at helping struggling farmers revive arable land. Launching the 2025/26 Provincial Planting Season, MEC Madoda Sambatha highlighted major investments, including over R23 million to activate more than 2,500 hectares in Ngaka Modiri Molema District. The programme provides farmers with inputs, mechanisation, and technical support to boost food security and rural economic growth. Beneficiaries such as the Retladirela Cooperative demonstrated new machinery and praised improved efficiency and stronger engagement between farmers and government.
Read full story: SAnews
Date Published: November 14, 2025
Absa and Agda Push for Unified Funding Model to Support Emerging Farmers
Absa and the Agricultural Development Agency (Agda) convened a high-level dialogue to address South Africa’s fragmented agricultural financing system, which continues to hinder emerging farmers lacking financial records or collateral. Agda CEO Leona Archary stressed the need to move from identifying barriers to implementing cohesive, scalable solutions that align public funding with commercial finance. Absa executives highlighted the sector’s potential but noted that many agripreneurs struggle to scale without long-term support, governance capacity, and trust between stakeholders. Experts called for structured growth pathways, improved collaboration, and less stringent lending requirements to enable new entrants and strengthen the broader agricultural ecosystem.
Read full story: Food For Mzansi
Date Published: November 14, 2025
African News
Morocco Surpasses Spain to Become World’s Third-Largest Tomato Exporter
Morocco has overtaken Spain as the world’s third-largest exporter of fresh tomatoes, according to UN COMTRADE data cited by Hortinfo. Export volumes reached 767,000 tonnes in 2024, reflecting two decades of rapid growth driven by investment in greenhouses, irrigation, and post-harvest logistics. The country now trails only Mexico and the Netherlands. Revenue has risen nearly tenfold since 2005, hitting €1.066 billion in 2024 and edging past Spain’s earnings. Morocco’s competitive edge stems from improved cold-chain systems, EU trade access, and strong winter supply to Europe. The shift underscores broader changes in global produce markets amid rising costs and constraints in Europe.
Read full story: AgriTechMEA
Date Published: November 13, 2025
Global News
Saskatchewan Farm Group Calls for Tighter Rules on Foreign Land Ownership
Saskatchewan’s largest farming organisation, APAS, is urging the provincial government to strengthen regulations on foreign farmland ownership amid rising concern from producers. President Bill Prybylski says farmers have reported instances of foreign entities and financing entering the land market, prompting APAS to recommend stricter verification processes and limits on who may purchase agricultural land. The issue sparked a heated exchange in the legislature between Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison and NDP critic Trent Wotherspoon, who accused the government of lax oversight. While officials say audit recommendations have now been implemented, APAS argues farmers still want reassurance that provincial laws are being properly enforced.
Read full story: Global News
Date Published: November 13, 2025
GoodLeaf Farms Secures CAD 52 Million to Boost Vertical Farming Expansion
GoodLeaf Farms has raised CAD 52 million in new equity financing to accelerate its expansion across Canada. The country’s largest vertical farming operator will use the investment to scale production at its Alberta and Quebec facilities and to establish a new research and development centre in Ontario. Backed by investors including Farm Credit Canada, Power Sustainable Lios and McCain Foods, GoodLeaf has seen rapid growth, with demand for its baby greens and microgreens nearly doubling in early 2025. The funding will enable the company to double output at its two biggest farms in 2026 and further advance sustainable, efficient growing technologies.
Read full story: Food Bev Media
Date Published: November 14, 2025
SwarmFarm Robotics Puts Regional Australia at the Forefront of Global Agtech
SwarmFarm Robotics, founded by Queensland farmers Andrew and Jocie Bate in 2015, has grown into a global agtech leader with more than 250 autonomous robots operating across 10 million acres. Built and tested on farms, the robots aim not just to automate labour but to improve soil health, cut chemical use and give farmers more time. Designed for simplicity, they can be repaired on-farm and use computer vision to target individual weeds, reducing pesticide costs and labour pressures. Based in regional Australia, SwarmFarm is creating high-skilled rural jobs while demonstrating how home-grown innovation can shape the future of sustainable farming.
Read full story: Comm Bank
Date Published: November 14, 2025
Pakistan Targets 50% Cut in Soybean Imports with New Climate-Resilient Varieties
Pakistan is aiming to halve its soybean imports within five years as researchers develop new heat-tolerant, high-yield varieties suited to Punjab’s climate. The Oilseed Research Institute in Faisalabad has released three varieties - Super Soybean, AARI Soybean and Faisal Soybean - with more under development. After decades of research, field trials across Punjab show strong performance, raising hopes that local production could reach three million tonnes by 2030. Experts say the breakthrough could strengthen supply chains for poultry feed and edible oil but stress the need for a national soybean policy and safeguards to avoid displacement of staple crops.
Read full story: Profit
Date Published: November 13, 2025
