South Africa will start providing high frequency data on the agriculture sector\u2019s performance after a shock third quarter contraction in the industry put the government\u2019s growth projection in jeopardy and led the country\u2019s biggest farm-industry lobbies to commission a probe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Department of Agriculture and groups representing farmers will form an Agricultural Conditions Committee this month, Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber, said Friday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main aim of the committee, which will be housed at the Department of Agriculture and include agricultural organizations and some academics, will be \u201cto ensure there is high frequency data about agricultural conditions, and general insights about the operating conditions of farmers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis will help improve the general public and policymakers\u2019 understanding of the sector\u2019s condition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agri SA<\/a>, a federation of agricultural organizations, and Agbiz in December asked<\/a> the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy to review Statistics South Africa\u2019s data after the agency said the farming sector contracted 15.5% in the first nine months of the year and 28.8% in the third quarter \u2014 the most since 1970. That triggered an unexpected contraction of 0.3% in the nation\u2019s overall quarterly economic performance relative to the prior three months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n South Africa’s agricultural economic data is solid. The way the media covered the issue of the agriculture data in the recent GDP figures seems to suggest that there is big trouble. But there isn’t. Sure, there “may” be a data revision in agriculture Q3 numbers when Stats SA\u2026\u2014 Wandile Sihlobo (@WandileSihlobo) January 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n