South Africa’s wheat sector on brink of collapse, warns Grain SA

Grain SA has sounded an alarm over what it describes as a worsening crisis in South Africa’s wheat industry, warning that escalating input costs, depressed international prices and weak market protection measures are placing the sustainability of domestic wheat production at risk. The organisation has appealed to government, industry players and the public to act quickly to avert long-term structural damage. In a statement, the autonomous and voluntary commodity body said farmers have reached a breaking point, stressing that the industry can no longer wait for intervention. It cautioned that growers are under severe financial pressure and that without meaningful structural reforms, wheat production could decline permanently. On 27 November, an import tariff equivalent to about US$ 33 per ton was triggered, with the Government Gazette process initiated through the South African Grain Information Service (SAGIS). This followed a joint presentation by Grain SA and the South African ...