Farmers expect to plant more than a third more maize than in 2015
South African farmers intend to plant 35% more hectares of maize than last season as improved weather conditions encourage them to sow, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday. The Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) is expected to forecast the planted area at 2.62-million hectares, up from 1.947-million hectares planted in 2015 year, according to an average estimate of five trading houses polled by Reuters. The range was between 2.42-million and 2.74-million hectares. The poll is 7% higher than the previous CEC forecast of 2.44-million hectares as prospects of a wetter early summer, from November to January, had increased. The CEC will give its forecast on intentions to plant on Thursday for the 2016-17 maize growing season, which has already started on the eastern edge of the maize belt. Favourable weather conditions are expected to encourage farmers to plant more hectares than the previous season, as a weak La Nina weather system associated with increased rainfall and lower temperatures deve...
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