Milk, meat, sugar and bread: The impact of the KZN riots
News24
The riots and looting in KwaZulu-Natal will have a knock-on effect on local food supplies.
The closure of the N3 highway, fuel shortages, absenteeism and disruptions at Durban harbour were among the biggest problems.
The provision of milk, bread, meat and sugar has been affected.
Parts of South Africa have begun cleaning up after a devastating looting spree that gripped KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, but the ripple effect will be felt in the country s food value chains for months to come.
The lengthy closure of the key N3 highway linking Durban and Gauteng, as well as fuel shortages, have severely disrupted the food supply chain.
Here is what s behind the surge in global agricultura dailymaverick.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymaverick.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Elevated prices for the staple food maize are putting pressure on cash-strapped South African consumers still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and fanning food price inflation.
5/28/2021 Staple white maize up 28% year-on-year Meat prices rise on higher feed costs, less slaughtering
By Tanisha Heiberg
JOHANNESBURG, May 28 (Reuters) - Elevated prices for the
staple food maize are putting pressure on cash-strapped South
African consumers still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic
and fanning food price inflation.
A global run in the price of maize driven by higher import
demand from China, droughts in South America and dry conditions
in parts of the United States and Canada has raised local maize
prices despite expectations of a bumper 2020/2021 domestic maize
crop.
The September domestic white maize contract closed
at 3,107 rand ($224.85) per tonne on Thursday 28% higher than a
South Africa: Tomato prices expected to ease
The current surge in South African tomato prices, due to the crops being hit by wet weather in the main growing areas, is expected to be short-lived. In the second week of April, tomato prices rose almost 93% and volumes sold fell 33% compared to a year ago.
Dr Marlene Louw, senior economist at Absa AgriBusiness: “Consumer income is under pressure and the prevailing high prices could have a negative impact on demand over the coming months.”
South Africa, which relies on domestic supplies to meet demand, produces around 600,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year.
FNB senior agricultural economist Paul Makube said the supply of tomatoes during April has already improved compared to February and March. Reuters.com quoted Makube as saying: “We expect prices to start moderating to normal levels in the medium term as the production volumes from the non-affected geographies improve.”