According to an answer to a written question in parliament, the Ministry of Police said a total of 2 thousand 7 hundred and 42 stock theft cases were registered in the last financial year. Only 7 hundred and 67 cases were resolved by the end of February 2022. During the previous two financial years - 3 thousand and 63 cases were registered in 2020/21, and 3 thousand 9 hundred and 35 in 2019/20. In some regions in the Free State there was a decline in registered cases while other regions saw an increase. The statistics released do not contain the number of animals involved in these cases, or some of the challenges units are facing in investigating stock theft cases in the province. In the cases resolved it is also not clear how many investigations led to successful convictions.

Farming is the backbone of the economy in the Free State and South Africa as a whole. For this reason, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the province hosted an emerging and commercial farmers' livestock producer event in Senekal. Breed objectives, production systems, and the effect of the management of cattle profitability were just some of the presentations that were shared with farmers. This producer event came as Minister Thoko Didiza recently visited the Free State in order to engage with farmers, Communal Property Associations as well as agricultural unions and organisations. The minister said the engagements were to get a sense of what ideas farmers have to grow the sector in the Free State.

AND

The 2021/22 global wheat stocks are forecast to decline to 278 million tonnes, which is down 3% from the 2020/21 season. This is because of the increase in global consumption by both the human and animal feed industry. Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, adds that this decline in global stocks, combined with challenges facing shipments in the Black Sea region, means that international wheat prices could remain elevated over the medium term, as has been the case since the days leading up to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Maize is also an important grain for human consumption and animal feed and has been a major focus since the Russia-Ukraine war started.

OFM News