2022 wheat harvest forecast 1.6% lower than last year

South African farmers are expected to harvest 1.6% less wheat in the 2022 season compared with the previous season, the government’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Wednesday.

The CEC’s fifth winter wheat crop forecast estimates the 2022 wheat harvest at 2.249 million tonnes, down from the 2.285 million tonnes harvested last year.

Winter crops – fifth production estimate 2022

	LATEST ESTIMATES 2022	PREVIOUS ESTIMATE 2022	2021
Wheat
Area	566,800 ha	566,800 ha	523,500 ha
Production	2,248,795 T	2,225,895 T	2,285,000 T
Barley
Area	101,000 ha	101,000 ha	94,730 ha
Production	356,850 T	356,850 T	334,000 T
Canola
Area	123,510 ha	123,510 ha	100,000 ha
Production	210,530 T	210,530 T	198,100 T
Oats
Area	27,000 ha	27,000 ha	36,250 ha
Production	37,700 T	37,700 T	59,000 T
Sweet Lupine
Area	21,000 ha	21,000 ha	22,000 ha
Production	15,750 T	16,800 T	28,600 T