SA is set to harvest the second-biggest maize crop on record, the agriculture business chamber (Agbiz), an organisation that represents commercial farmers and agribusiness enterprises nationally, says. This means SA will regain its status as a net exporter of maize this season, despite some parts of the country, including the Western Cape, continuing to face harsh drought conditions. According to Agbiz, the National Crop Estimate Committee revised up its forecast 3% to 14.32-million tonnes. Thus, making this season’s crop the second biggest after the 1980-81 bumper crop of 14.66-million tonnes. "This means that SA will regain its status as a net exporter of maize this season. We believe that total maize exports could at least reach 2.5-million tonnes. About 56% of this could be white maize, with 44% being yellow maize," said Wandile Sihlobo, the head of economic and agribusiness research at Agbiz. White and yellow maize production estimates were revised up by 2% and 4% from the prev...
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