2020 was a very good year for South African agriculture

Published 2021년 4월 2일

Tridge summary

In 2020, South Africa's agriculture sector saw substantial growth, with an annualised real GDP growth rate of 13.1%, as reported by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Production (BFAP). This growth occurred amidst a national economy that contracted by 7% due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector's income increased by 7.3%, primarily driven by the maize sector. However, not all sectors experienced growth, with tobacco, cattle, milk, and other sectors facing challenges due to Covid-19 regulations or weak demand. The fourth quarter of the year saw a notable growth in production volumes for field crops and citrus, and a record harvest for wheat, barley, and canola in the Western Cape.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

South African agriculture had a “remarkable year” last year, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Production (BFAP) has reported. This was despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused all other sectors of the South African economy (except government services) to contract. While the national economy as a whole experienced its greatest contraction since at least 1946, amounting to a decline of 7% in gross domestic product (GDP), the agriculture sector experienced an annualised real GDP growth rate of 13.1%. As agriculture had suffered from a decline during 2018 and 2019 (as it had during 2015 and 2016), as a result of drought and animal diseases, a degree of recovery in the sector had been expected for last year. The BFAP’s modelling framework proved very valuable in handling the economic volatility and exogenous economic shocks experienced during 2020. Halfway through the year the Bureau was able to forecast that the country’s agriculture sector could grow by 13% – which proved to ...

Source: Engineeringnews