Stats SA to release January PPI

Pretoria - Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will today release January's Producer Price Inflation (PPI) figures.

In December, PPI rose to 0.7 percent year-on-year following seven months of contraction.

Standard Bank expects PPI, which is the price of goods leaving factories and mines, to continue growing in January.

"PPI is expected to rise by 1 percent month-on-month in January from 0.7 percent year-on-year in December," said Standard Bank. - BuaNews

Butterworth communities set for record harvest

Pretoria - The farming community outside Butterworth is expecting to harvest a whopping 5 000 tons of maize this season - a 200 percent improvement from last year.

The harvest forms part of AsgiSA (Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative) Eastern Cape's integrated dry-land cropping programme which has expanded over the same period.

Project manager Thukela Mashologu said some 300 households were benefiting from the projects in the Butterworth area alone.

The current maize and soya bean plantation is about 2 000 hectares up from 800 hectares planted last year.

The communities expect a yield of about 5 tons of maize per hectare and 1.7 tons of soya beans per hectare this season.

"It's a 200 percent improvement from last year. The community will receive 10 percent of the total harvest. The rest of the harvest (90 percent) is sold and the money is used to repay production costs and for reinvestment back to the community," said Mashologu.

AsgiSA provincial Chief Executive Officer Simpiwe Somdyala said the plantation projects were not just money making schemes. The project's success depends not only on generating cash but primarily on active local leadership, community support and participation.

"Food security is our primary focus, in about a year the community will not have to buy maize again. Ninety percent of production next year will be linked to reinvestment back to the community," Somdyala said.

Gibson Mbombo, Secretary of the Kulozulu Farmers Association who represents the beneficiaries in the area said the project is performing beyond their expectations.

"We are satisfied with the way the plantation and germination is going. The weather also seems to be on our side," Mbombo said, adding that they were expecting a good harvest this year.

The plantations which consist mainly of maize are situated in 11 local municipalities in the former Transkei stretching from Butterworth to Matatiele.

AsgiSA has also committed over R100 million to the expansion of the project this year, which covers OR Tambo, Chris Hani, Ukhahlamba, Amathole and Alfred Nzo municipal districts. - BuaNews

International: Darfur crisis over - Sudanese President

Darfur - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday said the crisis in the Sudanese war-torn western region has ended.

During his first visit to El Fasher, capital of North Darfur State, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement, President al-Bashir said: "The Darfur crisis in now over, the war in Darfur is over.

"The armed battle has ended and here started the battle for development and rehabilitation."

The ceasefire agreement was signed between Khartoum and Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The Sudanese government and JEM signed the long-awaited truce deal on Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha.

The Sudanese President vowed to provide necessary services for the citizens of the region. "We promise you that the potentials which has been utilised for war in southern and eastern Sudan and Darfur will be redirected to development and rehabilitation to achieve welfare for the Sudanese people."

Many services could have been provided for Darfur, but the war stopped all development projects in the region, however, now all education, water, health and roads projects in the region will be resumed.

Al-Bashir urged the JEM leaders to contribute to the building of Darfur and appreciated all ongoing efforts to achieve peace in the region.

Devastating fighting flared in Darfur that borders Chad in 2003, between ethnic rebels and the Sudanese government forces which have left around 300 000 people dead and 2.7 million others displaced, the UN estimates. - BuaNews-Xinhua