AGRICULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES
WANDILE SIHLOBO: SA needs to grow maize export markets
SA will regain its status as a net exporter of maize in the 2017-18 marketing year, starting on May 1. This follows two seasons of being a net importer of maize due to lower domestic supplies on the back of an El Niño-induced drought. With production set to reach 14.3-million tonnes, this not only changes fundamental factors in the maize market, but presents a possibility of hefty exports of 2.5-million tonnes. About 56% of this will be white maize and 44% yellow maize. Exporting such a large volume could pose a challenge due to the high concentration of SA’s traditional export markets. This challenge creates the opportunity to explore new markets, which can be achieved by developing an industry export strategy that explores and prioritises new export markets in line with business interests and informed by academic research. Such an initiative can be carried out in a public-private partnership in which the private sector provides business intelligence and government can handle the d...
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