Crops

South Africa raises alert as goss’s wilt spreads across maize regions

South Africa’s Department of Agriculture has issued an important update on the spread of Goss’s Wilt, a serious bacterial disease affecting maize

The announcement is directed at farmers, growers and the wider public, highlighting a change in the distribution of the disease and the need for continued awareness.

The disease was first identified in 2024 in four provinces, namely Free State, North West, Gauteng and Eastern Cape. After a detailed survey carried out in 2025, it has now been confirmed in additional regions including Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape. At present, KwaZulu Natal remains the only province where no cases have been reported.

Efforts to manage the disease are ongoing, with the department working closely with research bodies and industry partners. Current work includes building a collection of local bacterial strains, improving testing and monitoring systems, and identifying maize varieties that can better tolerate or resist the disease. There is also a strong focus on sharing knowledge between farmers, scientists and policymakers, as well as developing practical guidance suited to different regions.

Goss’s Wilt is regulated under national agricultural laws, with measures in place to limit its spread. These rules are aimed at protecting unaffected areas by controlling the movement of plant material and farming equipment from infected zones. Maize remains the only crop of economic importance that is known to be affected.

The disease can spread in several ways. Within fields, it can move from plant to plant through direct contact. Over longer distances, it may travel through infected seeds, although this is considered rare. A more significant risk comes from farm equipment such as harvesters and planters, which can carry infected plant material between fields if not properly cleaned.

There are currently no chemical treatments available to control Goss’s Wilt. Farmers are therefore encouraged to rely on good farming practices, such as crop rotation, use of resistant varieties and careful handling of equipment. Strong hygiene and biosecurity measures remain essential to limit further spread and protect maize production across the country.

Awareness play a significant role in expanding subsidy reach.

Africa, especially the eastern and southern regions, where the agricultural sector is central for food and nutrition security, economic development, and rural livelihoods, subsidies and broader public support policies are critical to building resilient, inclusive food systems to advance sustainable development objectives 

Input subsidy programmes, including inorganic fertiliser and maize seed, eat up most of the public investments, however. It should rather be channelised towards broader policy interventions that cover extension and research and development. 

The International Institute for Sustainable Development has released a report titled 'From Subsidies to Sustainability', trying to identify the best conditions for reforming public support to agriculture improve productivity, equity and environmental sustainability outcomes in Eastern and Southern Africa? It takes note of public support and reform experiences in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia, exploring how different subsidy models have influenced development outcomes and identifying lessons learned from these experiences.

Kenya, for example, can rely on centralised subsidy programmes for prompt stabilisation of input prices in cases of market volatilities, but affect longer-term progress on equity and sustainability goals.

In Malawi, sustained long-term efforts in the way of soil health pilots can transform agriculture and food systems to grow resilient but may come at the cost of temporary reductions in yields.

Subsidies are more than just input price reductions, going beyond affordability to also include equitable access. Access inequality marked many African countries, where the poorest and most marginalised farmers get left out of available schemes. While reforms have the power to cut down the costs of agricultural inputs, it cannot guarantee equal access unless distribution points are identified strategically to ensure uniform supply.

Arranging awareness programmes also play a significant role in expanding the reach of subsidies and support schemes. The effectiveness of subsidies also depends on soil health. Investments to boost the quality of degraded soils can ensure better results from fertilisers. Regional policy frameworks, such as the African Fertiliser and Soil Health Plan (2024–2034) are increasingly identifying the bridges that connect soil health and yields, as part of integrated soil health management and improved soil health for sustainable productivity growth.

Early findings from Malawi’s soil health pilots, corroborated by results from soil health pilots in India, points towards the need for organic and blended organic-inorganic inputs over inorganic fertilisers alongside support for soil management to increase yields.

Reforms and their impact are influenced by a combination of fiscal pressure, broader policies and local conditions for farmers. Price shocks in Kenya, debt reform in Zambia, and foreign exchange constraints in Malawi all played a role in creating space and political will for reform. The outcomes of these reforms depended on tenure security, access to extension services, the quality of inputs, access to finance, and markets for agricultural produce.

Finance still remains inaccessible for small and medium agricultural enterprises. (Image source: FAO)

Africa's agrifood systems are facing a crisis and require urgent financial addressing to eliminate hunger and food insecurity, finds a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the African Union Commission (AUC) 

The report has highlighted a sharp gap between current public and private financing of agriculture, pointing to the need for substantial and consistent economic support to transform Africa’s agrifood systems. While increased government investments have been observed on agriculture, forestry and fishing in Africa, it still has a long way to go in bringing visible transformation on the face of multiple fiscal pressures on the nation. 

External flows such as official development assistance reflected less than 27% allocation to food security and nutrition. Private investment also remains low, with bank credit to agriculture accounting for less than four percent of total credit. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in food and agriculture remains poor, with annual flows hardly crossing US$2bn. 

Finance still remains inaccessible for small and medium agricultural enterprises, as their requirements exceed the capacity of microfinance and also falls short for banks.

Titled, Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, the report foreward read "financing for agrifood system transformation in Africa should provide the financial resources that contribute to the eradication of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in all its forms". 

“The findings call for urgent actions and increased financing for a sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in Africa.” 

The foreward has been penned by FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel; the Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist of ECA Hanan Morsy; the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the AUC, H.E Moses Vilakati; and the Assistant Executive Director of WFP Rania Dagash Kamara.

To make meaningful progress, the report calls for a strengthened policy and institutional environment that encourages public-private collaboration and de-risks agrifood investments. It outlines a roadmap that includes enhancing access to affordable credit, building the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises, and leveraging climate finance and blended finance solutions. 

Agri-Expo has bagged the Industry Innovation Award. (Image source: Agri Expo)

Ahead of the 31st Commonwealth Agriculture Conference of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) in Cape Town, the event organiser, Agri-Expo, has bagged the Industry Innovation Award at the 2026 Western Cape Economy Innovation Awards by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry 

Acknowledging the award as an encouragement to the agricultural society's vision in building industrial partnerships and uplifting rural economies, Agri-Expo's general manager, Breyton Milford, said, “For us, this award is ultimately about people – the producers, entrepreneurs, innovators, volunteers and communities who help drive agriculture forward every day.” 

“Thank you to Agri Western Cape for nominating us and for championing collaboration across the agricultural sector. We are proud to share this achievement with our members, partners and the broader agricultural community,” he said 

The company hitting its 195th anniversary in 2026 is another milestone which makes the award extra special for the team. “The award highlights the organisation’s ability to honour its legacy while continuing to evolve in step with the needs of the agricultural sector. From the introduction of the Hollard Game Changer Award and the South African Preserve Championships to the ongoing evolution of the South African Dairy Championships and our support of agricultural shows, innovation remains at the heart of everything we do,” Milford says.

“This acknowledges the impact of our unique multi-platform model that brings together producers, industry, government and markets to create opportunities for growth across the agricultural value chain,” Milford says. “We are particularly proud that this award recognises both new initiatives and the continuous renewal of longstanding projects.”

Nominees were assessed against strict, results-based criteria, including measurable economic impact, practical innovation and the number of local businesses and employees directly benefiting from each initiative. The awards also highlight 'systemic innovation' – the redesign of interconnected systems, supply chains and collaborative models that generate shared value across multiple stakeholders.