Agricultural Research Council Reports

The Economic Services Unit presents this 19th Economic Outlook to the ARC as a planning resource. The document analyses global and domestic trends in economic and agricultural markets and in related policy, as well as potential impacts of the above on sector performance. Apart from a macroeconomic perspective, it deals with production, consumption, and price trends. A range of projections are provided, based on assumptions about a set of economic, technological, environmental, political, institutional and social factors. International and local publications form the basis of the Outlook. Projections developed by the OECD, IMF, FAO and the World Agricultural Outlook are used. Respected local sources such as SAPA, Absa, BFAP and FNB outlooks are also used. Projections should be interpreted as possible scenarios. 

South Africa’s agriculture success lies in the effective application of innovations from the laboratories by scientists and interactive exchanges with farmers (including large commercial producers), with targeted focus on smallholder and resource poor enterprises. In the year under review, the ARC has disseminated a wide range of scientific solutions, information and technology to the agricultural sector to respond to different challenges. Thus, this annual report, associated performance information, and the audited financial statements of the organization for the financial year ending 31 March 2015. The ARC has delivered its outputs in the said financial year in accordance with the stipulated mandate as per the Agricultural Research Act, 1990 (Act no. 86of 1990, as amended), and as required by the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act no. 1 of 1999, as amended). This annual report fairly represents the work of ARC along with its partners and the government of South Africa during the reporting period. The outputs in this annual report were in accordance with the pre-determined objectives that are contained in the Business Plan for financial year 2014/15 asapproved by Council, and tabled in parliament by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: Mr. Senzeni Zokwana. 

The peach and nectarine industry is one of the important agricultural industries that were established in the Western Cape region. It has a history that dates back to 1655 when the Dutch East India Company’s commander, Jan Van Riebeeck, started the experimental planting of perennial crops and fruit trees in the Cape Colony. Peaches and nectarines had the highest tree numbers in the Cape Colony in 1892 and peaches pioneered fresh fruit exports in the same year (Standard Bank, 1965). The emergence of the industry is attributed to the introduction of better suited production practices by the French Huguenots, the availability of high yielding and easy to grow fruit varieties and the availability of an accessible local market (Pickstone, 1917; Aucamp, 1987). The industry seemed to have been set up for success as it had a reliable supply, accessible and growinglocal and export markets, and there were rapid developments in transport and cold storage infrastructure and in the institutions (Aucamp, 1987). However, this was not the case as factors such as enterpriseproductivity and fruit quality began to pose great limitations to the industry’s growth. Industry exports were reduced to zero when a wooliness disease was discovered in 1936. At this time industry stakeholders realised that locally developed agricultural research and development (R&D) services were needed to ensure the continuity of the industry. The following year, the Western Province Research Station (WPRS) which is now known as the Infruitec–Nietvoorbij research Institute of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) was established. Unfortunately, the economic benefits of the peach and nectarine research carried out by this Institute have ..