How much water do pigs need to drink? In hot weather they go to the watering point and seem to be looking for more water. Is giving them water once or twice a day enough? They tend to knock containers over and waste water. What is the best way to…
Question: What is the difference between live and inactivated vaccines? Vaccines are divided into 2 groups, live (attenuated) and inactivated vaccines. Vaccines consist of antigens. Antigens are viruses, bacteria, protozoans, fungi or toxins and can be inactivated (dead) or live. More recent vaccines can even consist of small pieces of antigen…
Agriculture is no longer a popular career choice, and a ministerial committee should be appointed to discuss urgent problems. This was one of the recommendations from a panel of the Academy of Science of South Africa (Assaf) in the report “Revitalising Agricultural Education and Training in South Africa.” Several panel…
When a milk buyer shut down one of its routes, this farmer decided he couldn’t leave his workers in the lurch so he started a factory. Today his float valves are sold nationwide – and pay nine salaries. In a former dairy on the farm Sweetwater outside Wepener in the…
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev) and agronomists and food scientists from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa’s Western Cape will partner on a R6 million research project on beer producing grains. Dr Nikki Else, Research and Development Manager: Agriculture Africa at AB InBev, said projects on cassava and sorghum will…
Edible oil producers in Zambia want exemption from the 16% Value Added Tax (VAT) to make local products competitive. “The industry is facing unfair competition from imported oil products and zero-rating VAT will help make the local industry competitive,” said Dharmesh Patel, executive of an edible oil manufacturing company. Patel…
More than 1 million smallholder Zambians still battle to get improved seed varieties. This according to Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary Julius Shawa, who said it is hindering productivity in the agriculture sector. Shawa also cited weak organisational structures, low investment and poor knowledge management as additional barriers to improving…
Zambia’s power utility company ZESCO today implemented an extra 25% tariff increase as development industry analysts say it will have disastrous consequences in the economy. In May, ZESCO implemented a 50% price increase, after the Energy Regulation Board approved a two-phased tariff adjustment of 75%. The company says cost-reflective power…
Some players in the Zambian fish industry want government to ban the import of tilapia fish from Asia, after an outbreak of the highly contagious Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) there. Local media report that Aquaculture Development of Zambia (ADAZ), the umbrella body for Zambia’s fishing industry, raised the alarm following…
Zambia has developed a local vaccine for East Coast fever, said Livestock and Fisheries Minister Michael Katambo. The minister said 80 000 doses of the local vaccine are being piloted in selected provinces. “The local vaccines are showing positive results and if successful, they will help curb tick-borne diseases,” Katambo said.…
Farming with indigenous cattle breeds adapted to extreme conditions, linked to global warming and climate change, can be the salvation of future cattle farming. During an information day at the Armoedsvlakte bull test centre, Mokgadi Seshoka, animal scientist from the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Animal Production Institute at Irene, said…
The Land Bank will now take respected mentors into consideration when deciding whether to fund emerging farmers. During the African Farmer’s Association of South Africa (Afasa) annual congress in Johannesburg, Portia Zulu, provincial manager of Land Bank, said emerging farmers must overcome different challenges. Zulu was part of a panel…
The Zambian government has annulled the controversial land sale in which an entire chiefdom in Central Province was allegedly included in a land sale. This followed exhaustive investigations into the land sale which sparked national outrage. A reliable source who wished to remain anonymous said the Ministry of Lands wrote…
Professor Joseph Mbaiwa from the University of Botswana, says the ban on safari hunting which was implemented in 2014, was a political decision and cannot be justified from a scientific viewpoint. According to his research report titled “The impact of the ban on safari hunting tourism on local income and…
The lobby group African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) warns that amendments to the Plant Improvement Act 53 of 1976 and the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act 15 of 1976 could, among other issues, restrict the exchange of seed. According to Linzi Lewis, researcher at ACB, small farmers will be held to…
Two South African Ministers have called upon white farmers to lend a helping hand to emerging black farmers at a conference about transformation. Senzeni Zokwana, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries used the example of Bobby Godsell, CEO of AngloGold, who was a mentor to Patrice Motsepe, mine magnate and…
There are many advantages to using old tyres, bicycle wheels, or flap doors as thoroughfares for wild animals. The maintenance of wire fences, especially where aardvarks, bush pigs or warthogs crawl through, usually places farmers into one of two groups. The first group becomes almost obsessive about it, closing each…
The Dairy Association of Zambia (DAZ) says the nation’s milk production is far below the installed capacity of 182 million litres per annum. According to DAZ, the constrained growth was a result of high cost of inputs. This resulted into sector producing a mere 65 million litres per annum. “Feed…
It looks like the fall armyworm (FAW) is now developing an appetite for wheat after already causing serious damage to southern African summer crops earlier this year. The pest (Spodoptera frugiperda) which damaged crops like maize, sweet corn and sorghum was also seen in wheat production areas in Zimbabwe. Grain…
When Danie Jonker needed feed and water troughs, he chose to make them himself from recycled plastic. This quickly created a huge demand with farmers, and today he and his family run the company “WellFed Krippe” which manufactures troughs and other farming equipment. What began as an experiment to make…
Many countries concerned, disappointed with merger The merger of the international companies Dow and DuPont, providing input products to the South African agricultural market, has been approved. This comes after similar approvals in places like the USA, China, Brazil and Europe were met with disappointment. Like in other countries, South…
Small backyard Moringa orchards offer hope to unemployed Zambians, says Ndola’s Brown Kakumbi. Easily cultivated, the Moringa trees yield a rich harvest of high value powder, oil, food and fodder. Strong international and local demand or Moringa products makes this the right time to plant and Brown has a plan. …
South Africa’s department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has suspended its director general, Mike Mlengana while an internal investigation is pending According to a press release issued by the department, the suspension serves as a temporary measure and should not be seen as a ruling against Mlengana. Mooketsa Ramasodi, deputy…
Zambia has intensified surveillance of its water bodies with wild migratory birds to keep bird flu at bay. Government also reiterated the need for farmers and the public to immediately notify veterinary officers about bird mortalities and disease. Director of Veterinary Services Yona Sakala said the surveillance is concentrated in…
