La Niña expected to bring a wetter-than-usual summer, say agricultural economists
The El Niño drought is said to be coming to an end, making way for wet La Niña weather. Absa agricultural economists say the following trends are likely in 2017: 1. SA is the world’s largest producer of mohair and accounts for 52% of the total global production. A small percentage of South African mohair is consumed domestically while most of the yield is exported to Italy and China. In 2017, the weaker rand and strong demand from China are expected to remain the key drivers, while depressed economic conditions in the Eurozone could negatively impact demand. 2. SA is a major grapefruit producer and exporter in the Southern Hemisphere, accounting for 405,000 tonnes in 2014, about 6.4% of global production. The domestic outlook for grapefruit remains positive for the next five years until 2021. 3. In 2015-16, SA imported 100 803 tonnes of white maize and 1.9-million tonnes of yellow maize. In the 2016-17 season, SA is expected to import 1-million tonnes of white maize and 2.3-million ...
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