#southafrica – Dust Act

Farm workers earn through carbon credit programme

15 Dec, 2016 Michael Peters #carbon , #farmers , #soil , #soilcarbon , #southafrica , #spier , #westerncape

Twenty-seven employees of the Spier wine estate, in Stellenbosch, have, through a climate change mitigation initiative, shared half the R204 000 paid out from carbon credits – derived from practicing regenerative farming on a section of the organically certified wine farm. An average of R4 000 was given to each worker, with those managing the […]

Botswana diamond miner announces four-month plant closure

23 Oct, 2016 Michael Peters #botswana , #diamond , #southafrica , Mining

GABORONE – Contract miner Basil Read Mining Botswana (BRMD) has announced an immediate cessation of all mining operations at Lerala Diamond Mine(LDM), which is owned by Australian gem miner Kimberely Diamonds. BRMD, which was contracted to conduct mining operations on behalf of Kimberley Diamonds Limited (KDL), said it would be forced to retrench some employees to avoid incurring losses during the period of redundancy. In an internal memo circulated to all […]

Uncompetitive scrap metal prices causing further decline in industry

03 Oct, 2016 Michael Peters #Aluminium , #scrapmetal , #southafrica

Unless strong action is immediately taken to stem the export of scrap metal and keep it in South Africa at competitive prices, the scrap beneficiating industry will further decline and directly affect the aluminium sector, saysaluminium foundry alloys producer Zimco Aluminium Company (Zimalco) sales and marketing director Bob Stone. “Owing to a high price for scrap metal and closures in the consuming industries, final original-equipment-manufacturer users are importing […]

Remediation of waste tyres reduces carbon emissions

16 Aug, 2016 Michael Peters #redisa , #southafrica , #tyres , #waste , #wastetyres

The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) has adopted several tactics to remediate wastetyres and, ultimately, reduce carbon emissions. This includes processing waste tyres using pyrolysis, crumbing and controlled burning incement kilns. From January last year to June this year, 19 908 t of wastetyres have been remediated through pyrolysis, 18 763 t have gone to cement kilns and 37 599 […]

Why agriculture is vital for South Africa’s economic future

26 Jul, 2016 Michael Peters #agriculture , #southafrica

Countries that tax agricultural sectors are normally poor. Countries which subsidize the agricultural sector are normally rich. This is according to agricultural economist professor Mohammad Karaan, a speaker at National Treasury’s Public Economics Winter School being held at the University of Pretoria this week. Karaan shared evidence to show why agriculture should be part of economic and […]

CSIR to develop high-tech capabilities to support Operation Phakisa

11 Jul, 2016 Michael Peters #southafrica

Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working on developing high-resolution predictive and observational capabilities to support decision-making in South African territorial seas and its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This would assist South Africa in reaching the Operation Phakisa goal of growing the oceans economy by R20-billion by 2019. To reach this […]

Another multimillion-rand expansion at Coega IDZ

10 Jun, 2016 Michael Peters #coegadevelopment , #portelizabeth , #southafrica

Sate-owned company for the development of 11 500 ha of industrial land in Port Elizabeth, the Coega Development Corporation (CDC), last month announced a R22-million expansion project by agroprocessing company Dynamic Commodities to be developed in Zone 3 of the Coega industrial development zone (IDZ). The project brings the total number of investors, which has […]

Milk price expected to surge, warns economist

08 Apr, 2016 Michael Peters #milkprice , #southafrica

While consumers continue to grapple with high food prices triggered by the current drought and the ailing economy, milk will soon be added to the list of costly staple foods, according to FNB senior agricultural economist Paul Makube. In a statement published Tuesday, Makube noted that dairy farmers were facing production shortages and would […]

Drought costs agriculture sector R16bn

10 Mar, 2016 Michael Peters #drought , #southafrica

The worst drought in decades has cost South Africa’s agricultural industry some R16-billion to date; however, despite many provinces being hard-hit by the prolonged drought conditions, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana did not believe the crisis was deep enough to declare a national emergency. Government would continue its drought relief measures with some […]

South Africa must admit national drought crisis to help farmers – Grain SA

04 Feb, 2016 Michael Peters #drought , #nationaldisaster , #southafrica

South Africa must formally declare a national disaster for the government to release relief funds to help farmers through the worst drought in a century, the country’s largest grain producer group said on Wednesday. While higher than expected January plantings saw Grain SA reduce its 2016 maize imports figure to 3.8-million tonnes from 5-million tonnes […]