Browse Data and Analysis

Import permits for genetically engineered (GE) corn from the United States are once again issued by South Africa. After a mid-summer drought that caused a 22 percent drop in production, South Africa needs to import corn to supplement domestic production.

The animal feed industry in South Africa is well established and highly scientific. Efficient formulations have enabled significant expansion of the livestock sector driven by a surge in local meat consumption.

While the United States holds a 5-year average of less than 1 percent market share ($20.7 million in 2023 exports), Senegal has a growing food manufacturing industry that seeks cost-competitive ingredients and is expanding its exports to neighboring countries.

In July 2024, falling global wheat prices triggered a wheat import duty of Rand 176.30 (USD 9.70) per metric ton for South Africa ending more than three years of duty-free imports. The higher import duty was introduced amid a 7 percent drop in wheat planted area for marketing year 2024/25.

Kenya’s feed ingredients market is currently estimated at $530 million, with a potential to grow by 30 percent by 2027 due to an expanding feed industry. Currently white corn is the main feed ingredient, but supply is constrained as corn is also a staple food.

Zambia’s production of its staple crop, corn, is expected to drop by more than 50 percent in marketing year 2024/25, due to extended dry spells associated with the El Niño event. Almost a million hectares of corn have been destroyed by the drought that forced the Zambian President to declare a “National Disaster and Emergency”.

In January 2024, Nigeria approved the commercial release of four TELA maize varieties, which have been genetically engineered for improved insect-resistance and drought-tolerance. In addition to South Africa, Nigeria has become the second country in...

South Africa’s sorghum imports are expected to be elevated over the next two marketing years on lower production coupled with lower stocks as production continues to decline. Sorghum production in South Africa dropped over the past two decades as...

Located on the west coast of southern Africa, Angola borders the four nations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Namibia, and Zambia. Approximately 10 percent of arable land is used for agriculture, with food production falling short of consumer demand, making Angola reliant on imports to meet its needs.

The Bank of Ghana restricted access to foreign exchange for a select list of imported products, including rice, poultry, vegetable oils, and pasta, among other items, to implement a directive from the President of Ghana.

Ethiopia’s Ten-Year Development Plan (2021-2030) identifies sustained and quality agriculture programs to accelerate economic progress and ensure national food security as its national strategy. The development of small and large-scale irrigation infrastructure in the Ethiopian lowlands has recently been given increasing due attention by the GOE - among other contributing factors like improved seed, fertilizer supply, and use of mechanization on the clustered wheat farms.

On June 10, 2022, the Government of Kenya issued additional tariff exemptions for new feed ingredients to address rising feed costs. Duty exemptions were granted for genetically engineered Bt. cottonseed cake, distillers’ dried grains with solubles...