Optimistic future for soybean production The soybean industry in South Africa is in a bloom period, exiting the technology drought that loomed over the country for years with renewal sparked by the soybean levy. With an estimated increase in yields of up to 50 per cent in the next five years, new cultivars and technologies are making their mark, writes MAGDA DU TOIT
S
outh Africa has in recent years made significant investments in the domestic soybean industry. Crushing capacity has increased and, thanks to a recently introduced soybean levy, crop technologies have started flowing into the country, creating a lot of optimism over the industry’s future. The country has increased crushing capacity by approximately 2.2 million tonnes. These investments are aimed at stimulating domestic soybean production as part of an import substitution strategy, and offering farmers a viable substitution crop for maize. Soybean producers have responded positively to these interventions. During the 2021/2022 production season, the area planted to soybeans climbed to a substantial 910 000 hectares, compared with 46 000 hectares in the 1992/1993 production season. Yields have also seen advancements, from 1.3 tonnes during the 2016/17 season to 1.89 tonnes per hectare during the 2021/22 season. Driven by increased profitability, farmers have continued to expand the area under soybean production, underscoring the importance of investments in crop technology.
30
This upward trajectory is set to continue, especially as the industry starts reaping the rewards of the soybean breeding and technology levy, introduced in 2019. While South African farmers are legally allowed to plant farm-saved seed, this prevents seed companies from being compensated for research and development of new technology and cultivars, since income from sales is limited when no new seed is purchased. This meant that for many years, improved soybean seed and technology did not enter the local market, causing local farmers to lag behind their international counterparts.
Seeding innovation The South African Cultivar and Technology Agency (SACTA) administers levies for all open-pollinated crops, distributing 80 per cent of the income to seed companies according to their market share, to incentivise them to develop new and improved cultivars. Apart from new biotechnology traits, new germ plasm is also becoming available that can bring about additional yield gains. Under favourable climatic conditions, it is expected that yields could increase by 50 per cent due to the combination of new biotechnology and soybean cultivars in future.
A G R I C U LT U R E
Argi_NextFrontier_SOYA.indd 30
2022/05/03 3:16 PM
