WANDILE SIHLOBO: Food crop figures show SA won’t starve

With all the negative economic and political news in SA, food production is at least one positive fundamental we can all feel at ease about. This year brought a large summer grain and oilseed harvest of 18.1-million tonnes, a 92% annual increase.

In addition, there was a rebound in vegetable production. The benefits of this rebound are already reflected in grain commodity markets, with maize prices down by more than 60% from last year. This has not yet been fully reflected on the shelves at retail level due to time lags in the food-processing chain, and to some degree the sticky nature of prices.