1 April 2019
The European Union, the largest consumer of South African ostrich meat, has lifted the ban on ostrich imports.
The decision, published last week, lifts the ban imposed last year. The ban was implemented because the national Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' residue testing procedure... ...read more
1 April 2019
Minister of Economic Opportunities,Beverley Schäfer says she hopes that the people of Ebenhaeser go on to become successful commercial farmers, following the hand-over of title deeds in the Western Cape's largest agricultural restitution land claim yesterday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa handed over... ...read more
28 March 2019
Minister of Economic Opportunities Beverley Schäfer delivered the budgets for the 2019/20 financial year for Agriculture and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
These two departments are integral to achieving the goals of growing the economy and creating jobs in the Western Cape.
Dur... ...read more
7 March 2019
Blockchain provides opportunities to improve government efficiency and develop the new economy
Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille and Minister of Economic Opportunities, Beverley Schäfer both gave key note addresses at the Blockchain Africa conference held in Cape Town today, focusing on the p... ...read more
4 March 2019
Marlenique, a fruit farm and wedding venue just outside of Franschhoek has unveiled a state of the art, floating solar PV system.
The system has been installed by New South Energy on the farm’s dam, helping to generate clean energy, while also minimising evaporation from the farm’s dam and saving va... ...read more
26 February 2019
The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape is at the forefront of using technology to enhance sustainable farming, and as part of its initiative to embrace the fourth industrial revolution, has introduced Sentinel-2 earth observation technology.
Sentinel-2 is an earth observation satellite mi... ...read more
21 February 2019
Finance Minister Tito Mobweni’s budget speech yesterday did nothing to outline how this country intends to grow employment and was non-committal on major issues facing the economy. The content has done little to set investors’ minds at rest, and presents many issues of possible concern for ratings a... ...read more
21 February 2019
Drought support to farmers in the West Coast District, Matzikama and Cederberg will be intensified, while in Swartland, farmers do not require fodder support, the annual summer season veld assessment has revealed.
The first round of the bi-annual veld assessment was undertaken over a period of three... ...read more
19 February 2019
Minister of Economic Opportunities, Beverley Schäfer today released the results of an independent evaluation done to determine the success of agricultural land reform projects in the province which receive support from the Department of Agriculture.
The study, which rated the projects on 39 indicato... ...read more
18 February 2019
Two Western Cape women in agriculture have been named among the world’s top women entrepreneurs in the 2019 Enterprising Women Awards.
The awards, which are run annually by the US based Enterprising Women magazine, honour entrepreneurs in seven categories based on the size of their business.
Denis... ...read more
13 February 2019
An independent study of land reform projects supported by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture between 2009 and 2013, found that 62% of projects were successful.
The evaluation was one of the only studies into the success of land reform in the country.
In its provincial strategic plan for 2014... ...read more
12 February 2019
The Western Cape has recorded the lowest expanded unemployment rate and the highest labour absorption rate in the country-indicating that the province’s efforts to create an environment conducive to economic growth and job creation are paying off.
StatsSA released their Quarterly Labour Force Survey... ...read more
21 November 2018
Yesterday, Tuesday, 20 November 2018, the winners of the Department of Agriculture’s annual food security agri awards competition were announced at a ceremony held in Villiersdorp.
The competition, held in Villiersdorp and surrounding areas Lebanon, Nuweberg and Klein Begin was a follow-up to the of... ...read more
5 November 2018
This year’s winner of the Prestige Agri Award is Isaac Ntoto, from Garden of Eden Berries in Brandwag, Mossel Bay.
The announcement was made at a gala event held at the Nederburg Wine Estate on Saturday night.
Ntoto oversees all the technical aspects of the farm, ranging from soil sampling to fertil... ...read more
19 October 2018
Nine final year winemaking students at the Department of Agriculture’s Elsenburg College showcased the wines that they have made as part of their studies.
Students at the college are trained to make wines on a commercial scale in order to be industry ready when they graduate. At the end of their stu... ...read more
27 August 2018
As Women’s Month draws to a close, two Western Cape businesses have received national recognition in separate awards ceremonies honouring women and women empowerment.
Western Cape pig farmer Leandre Mitchley walked away with the national award for the top small holder farming entrepreneur at the Fem... ...read more
17 August 2018
The impact of policy uncertainty around land reform and the drought, were the central focus of this year’s BFAP report which was released at an event in Somerset West today.
The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s (BFAP) Baseline 2018-2027, which is co-funded by the Western Cape Department of... ...read more
13 August 2018
The Western Cape Department of Agriculture held its prize ceremony for the Female Entrepreneur Awards in Stellenbosch last night, honouring the many hard-working women in the sector and the role they play in food security and growing the economy.
The competition is a joint effort between the Nationa... ...read more
13 August 2018
If the Western Cape were a country, it would be the world’s fifth largest exporter of citrus fruits.
South Africa is currently the second biggest exporter of citrus in the world after Spain, accounting for 10% of the global market. The Western Cape currently exports the majority share of this, at 62... ...read more
2 July 2018
New research into the Fourth Industrial Revolution has revealed how the Western Cape's agricultural sector can harness water saving technology, drones, genetic development and robotics to develop the industry, contribute to food security and create new jobs in emerging fields.
The report - prepared... ...read more