South African summer crop farmers are expecting a bigger harvest this year.
This is despite the 2019/20 production season starting on a negative footing with delayed rainfall across the country. Summer crops include white maize, yellow maize, sunflowers and soybeans.
Preliminary planting data from the National Crop Estimate Committee (CEC) shows 2019/20 summer crop area at 3.97 million hectares.
Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agriculture Business Chamber (Agbiz), says the recent increase in rainfall after the planting season has resulted in a positive outlook for volume production in the country.
The main maize-producing provinces are Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State.
Food price inflation increasing at a softer pace
Should the widespread rainfall continue in the coming two months, says Sihlobo, a bigger maize crop than the 2018/19 commercial harvest of 11.3 million tons would mean that South Africa’s food price inflation could be contained at comfortable levels this year.
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