However, Wandile Sihlobo, Presidential Envoy on Agriculture and Land and Chief Economist at Agbiz, says SA\u2019s food security remains stable, and consumers are unlikely to face immediate price shocks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Speaking to Channel Africa on Friday, Sihlobo said the country\u2019s strong harvests over recent seasons have provided a buffer against external shocks. \u201cWe do not foresee risks to our food security over the foreseeable future. We are solid on food supplies and we still expect food price inflation to moderate this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that fuel price increases may cause temporary spikes in food prices in April and May, but stressed that overall supplies of grains, fruit and vegetables remain ample.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SA does not currently face fertiliser shortages, but global prices have begun to rise due to fears of supply disruptions. \u201cFertiliser is a globally traded commodity,\u201d Sihlobo explained. \u201cRoughly one\u2011third of nitrogen fertiliser passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Given the conflict, we are seeing upward pressure on prices globally.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He said many SA farmers already secured their fertiliser ahead of winter crop planting beginning in late April, reducing immediate exposure to price hikes. For those who have not, profitability may be squeezed, though no major reductions in planting areas are expected.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sihlobo stressed that higher fertiliser prices do not automatically translate into higher food prices for consumers. \u201cFarmers are price\u2011takers. Regardless of their input costs, they cannot simply raise prices to compensate. Food prices are largely set by global and domestic supply conditions, not by farmers\u2019 margins,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The greater risk would arise only if farmers reduced planting significantly, a scenario Sihlobo does not anticipate. He added that the timing of the Middle East disruption is \u201ca blessing\u201d, occurring outside the planting window for staple crops across Southern Africa. Planting for the 2027 harvest will only begin later this year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For now, the main inflationary risk remains fuel costs, not fertiliser. \u201cAgricultural activity will continue in a normal way,\u201d Sihlobo said. \u201cFarmers may face reduced profitability, but consumers are not expected to face near\u2011term pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29433,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[78,44],"class_list":["post-29432","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"South African (SA) farmers are facing rising fertiliser costs as global prices climb amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, raising concerns about production costs and the knock\u2011on effect on agriculture.\u00a0","published_date":"","news_description":"","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29434,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29432\/revisions\/29434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=29432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}