Browse Data and Analysis

South Africa’s corn crop in marketing year 2023/24 has been affected by an El Niño induced mid-summer drought, resulting in an expected drop of more than 15 percent in crop volume.

South Africa is on course to produce a fourth consecutive bumper corn crop in MY 2022/23, which creates a bearish outlook on local corn prices and will limit growth in the area to be planted with corn in MY2023/24.

Rice production in Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali is forecast at 8.02 million metric tons (MMT) in MY 2022/23 on average weather, improved irrigation, and enhanced stability in production areas. The 15 percent jump from MY 2021/22 follows a growing season that was plagued by poor weather, militant activity and instability in Mali, and irrigation issues and pest prevalence in Senegal.

After exceptional consecutive production seasons of solid growth supported by relatively high commodity prices and favorable weather conditions, wheat and corn producers in South Africa are optimistically looking forward to the 2022 production season.

Marketing year (MY) 2021/22 area harvested for rice in Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali is expected to increase about 9 percent to 3.35 million HA as movement restrictions are eased in Guinea, planted area rebounds from flooding, and financing and input access for farmers increases.

South Africa should remain a net exporter of corn in the 2021/22 MY on excess supplies.

South Africa has to import rice to meet local demand as rice production is insignificant in the country. As a result, any trade restrictions introduced by exporter countries, due to COVID-19...

South Africa will remain a net exporter of corn in the 2020/21 MY, on relatively high stock levels, due to an anticipated bumper crop in the 2019/20 MY.

Post estimates South Africa will have to import about one million tons of corn in the 2018/19 MY on an estimated 20 percent decline in commercial production due to drought conditions.

Due to relatively high stock levels that are suppressing local corn prices, Post estimates that South Africa’s commercial corn producers will cut area by 10 percent to 2.1 million hectares....

Post forecasts that South Africa’s wheat imports for the 2018/19 MY will decline marginally to 1.8 million tons, on an expected increase in local production.

On January 18, 2018, recently installed Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa issued the national investment policy statement that outlines the guidelines for investing in Zimbabwe....