Abstract This paper investigates the competitiveness of small and medium-scale maize milling enterprises in South Africa from estimates of a translog stochastic cost frontier model. Results suggest that small and medium-scale maize mills in South Africa are cost-inefficient, operating at 59...

Agri-food markets are restructuring, characterised by an increased consolidation and concentration of the industry, as supermarkets continue to expand at an exponential rate throughout the region. Unlike the global phenomenon where the formal markets are replacing informal markets, this is not...

Although several previous studies have ascertained that smallholder farmers prefer informal markets, a few vertically integrated retail chains increasingly dominate South Africa’s agro-food supply chain. The onset of this trend has led to the demise of a large number of general dealers in...