Plan for these trends over the coming months

High interest rates, load-shedding, the impact of El Niño on rainfall and export challenges are some of the biggest agricultural risks flagged in the 2023 Absa AgriTrends Spring Edition.

- Glenneis Kriel

Marlene Louw, senior economist at Absa Agribusiness, said during the launch of the document at Nampo Cape Bredasdorp that the idea behind AgriTrends was not to give a “crystal ball prediction of what was going to happen” but rather to facilitate discussions between agricultural role players and prepare them for these eventualities.

Abrie Rautenbach, head of Absa Agribusiness, added that farmers who planned for and addressed risks were generally better off than those who did not.

Louw said grain and oilseed prices had eased since the start of 2023, but there was still a lot of market uncertainty because of the impact of the war in Ukraine on global supplies and now also the possible impact of El Niño on production.