Strong Partnerships Essential as Cape Agriculture Faces Economic and Operational Headwinds
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Farmersweekly.co.za reports that strong producer organisations, effective public-private partnerships, and functioning infrastructure will be critical if South African agriculture is to withstand mounting economic, climatic, and biosecurity risks. This was the central message at Agri Western Cape’s annual congress, held on 13 August near Rawsonville under the theme ‘Steadfastness in a Changing World’. Metaphorically speaking, Agri Western Cape President Villiers Loubser said that “steadfastness is not the absence of change, but is the ability to change without breaking. “It is a tree that bends in the wind, but whose roots hold firm. It is a community that holds on to one another when the ground shifts beneath their feet.”
South Africa’s agriculture sector shed 16 000 jobs in the second quarter of 2026 but remained 4,3% above the level seen a year earlier. Economists say the quarterly decline reflects the sector’s seasonal nature, but warn that weak profitability could put pressure on future employment. According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released on 11 August, agricultural employment decreased by approximately 16 000 jobs, from 960 000 in the first quarter of the year (Q1) to 944 000 in Q2. Despite this, the sector recorded a year-on-year increase of 39 000 jobs, or 4,3%, for the period ended 30 June 2026.
And…Premier Group CEO Kobus Gertenbach has told canning fruit growers that the company will compensate them in cash for fruit it can no longer process during the coming season. This commitment follows Premier’s announcement that it will close its Fruit Products Western Cape facility in Tulbagh, with the company having already written off about R1 billion in assets. Addressing growers at the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association’s (CFPA) annual general meeting in Rawsonville on 11 August, Gertenbach also confirmed that Premier intended to exit the canned fruit category altogether. This meant the iconic Rhodes canned fruit brand would no longer be available once existing stock had been sold.
South Africa’s agriculture sector shed 16 000 jobs in the second quarter of 2026 but remained 4,3% above the level seen a year earlier. Economists say the quarterly decline reflects the sector’s seasonal nature, but warn that weak profitability could put pressure on future employment. According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released on 11 August, agricultural employment decreased by approximately 16 000 jobs, from 960 000 in the first quarter of the year (Q1) to 944 000 in Q2. Despite this, the sector recorded a year-on-year increase of 39 000 jobs, or 4,3%, for the period ended 30 June 2026.
And…Premier Group CEO Kobus Gertenbach has told canning fruit growers that the company will compensate them in cash for fruit it can no longer process during the coming season. This commitment follows Premier’s announcement that it will close its Fruit Products Western Cape facility in Tulbagh, with the company having already written off about R1 billion in assets. Addressing growers at the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association’s (CFPA) annual general meeting in Rawsonville on 11 August, Gertenbach also confirmed that Premier intended to exit the canned fruit category altogether. This meant the iconic Rhodes canned fruit brand would no longer be available once existing stock had been sold.
