Resilience amidst challenges, and optimism for 2026

The year 2025 ushered in renewed optimism for South Africa's agriculture sector, with modest growth and recovery driven by summer field crop production rebounds and efficiency improvements at the country’s seaports.

- BRENDAN JACOBS, HEAD OF AGRICULTURE FOR BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL BANKING SOUTH AFRICA, STANDARD BANK

Nonetheless, as the year progressed, trade uncertainty and biosecurity challenges increasingly presented themselves as factors that could potentially retard the momentum of the sector, which saw the Agbiz Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) declining in the second and third quarters of the year. Despite the short-term setbacks, optimism and resilience within the agriculture sector has been sustained, underpinned by other contributing factors such as infrastructure improvements, strengthened trade relations with some Asian countries and quarterly export increases; easing of the South African monetary policy