South Africa’s Agriculture Balances Growth and Struggle as Livestock Battles Disease Outbreaks

South Africa’s agriculture sector is showing signs of both promise and pressure as the country moves through 2025, with booming crop yields standing in stark contrast to ongoing troubles in the livestock industry. While farmers celebrate strong harvests in maize, fruit, and vegetables, the shadow of animal diseases continues to hang heavily over red meat and poultry producers.

Source:businessreport

According to the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), favourable rains have lifted the outlook for field crops and horticulture. However, Chief Economist Wandile Sihlobo warned that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and avian influenza remain major obstacles for the livestock sector. He noted that although FMD vaccines finally arrived in South Africa late in the second quarter, outbreaks across provinces have kept farmers on edge.

Industry experts say recovery for the red meat sector will be a long road. FNB’s head of agricultural information and marketing, Dawie Maree, explained that biosecurity efforts are being strengthened, but FMD continues to strain production and profits. “It’s an economic disease that hurts farmers’ bottom lines, not consumers’ health,” he said, assuring the public that retail meat remains completely safe to eat.

Francois Rossouw, CEO of the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai), echoed similar concerns, describing livestock as the weakest link in the sector’s recovery. He warned that the spread of FMD remains poorly mapped, with outbreaks in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State still being monitored. Questions also linger about whether vaccine supplies and funding will be sufficient to maintain large-scale immunisation over time.

Despite these setbacks, South Africa’s overall agricultural output continues to grow. Data from Statistics South Africa shows that the sector’s gross value added rose by 2.5% in the second quarter, following an impressive 18.6% surge earlier in the year. Sihlobo attributed the slower second-quarter growth to delayed summer harvests but noted that production of summer grains and oilseeds still climbed to nearly 19.6 million tonnes — a 26% year-on-year increase.

While optimism in the sector has dipped slightly, with the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index falling by two points to 63, Sihlobo said sentiment remains positive. “Farmers are cautiously confident,” he remarked. “They know the challenges are real, but so are the opportunities.”