December 2020

14 December 2020 – South African business confidence continued its slow recovery in November, rising to its highest level since April last year, driven by low inflation and the resumption of trade after the coronavirus lockdown, a survey showed on Wednesday. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (Sacci) monthly business confidence index (BCI) […]

11 December 2020 – 020 has been a year of upheaval. No more annual trends but an uncertain “new normal”. According to Michelle Horner, trade lane manager at CFR Freight, this is also true of the Far East market. “China remains the dominant exporter of goods into South Africa, but we are seeing some changes

10 December 2020 – The combination of a large harvest, joint efforts between the government and the private sector to keep agriculture operational since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, and long-term export market development efforts continue to pay off for SA’s agricultural sector. In the third quarter, the country recorded record

9 December 2020 – Progress has been made on the implementation of the Poultry Master Plan, in spite of a decline in chicken consumption during the initial lockdown period, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has said. Over the course of the past 12 months, a new tariff was introduced on imported poultry

8 December 2020 – In 2Q2020, the FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index fell to only five. Sentiment improved to 11 in 3Q2020 and by a further five points to 16 in 4Q2020. Although better, the current index level means that the vast majority (more than eighty per cent) of respondents are dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions.

7 December 2020 – Very high levels of water stress or very high drought frequency affect about 1,2 billion people living in agricultural areas globally. According to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in South Africa, just over 80% of irrigated cropland is experiencing high or very high

4 December 2020 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today releases trade statistics for October 2020 recording a trade surplus of R36.13 billion. These statistics include trade data with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN). The year-to-date (01 January to 31 October 2020) trade surplus of R203.23 billion is an improvement from the R3.27

3 December 2020 – Manufacturing production slowed down in November as the reintroduction of Covid-19 lockdowns in Europe affected South Africa’s export activity. Absa yesterday said that its Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), declined to 52.6 index points from a record 60.9 points recorded in October. The decline came after three consecutive upward moves and brought

2 December 2020 – the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI), which rallied in the fourth quarter of the year to 61, from 51 in the previous quarter. A level above the neutral 50-point mark implies that agribusinesses are optimistic about business conditions in South Africa. The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index reflects the perceptions of at least

1 December 2020 – The Ports Regulator of South Africa had some good news for the shipping industry on Monday, but bad news for the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) related to its latest tariff application. TNPA’s application for an overall average tariff increase of 19.74% was rejected. The Durban-based regulator announced that “cargo dues”