SA maize harvest seen 5.7% higher this year

South African farmers are expected to harvest 5.7% more maize in the 2022/2023 season compared with the previous season, the government’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Wednesday.

The CEC’s latest summer crop forecast estimates the 2023 harvest at 16.354 million tonnes, up from the 15.470 million tonnes harvested last season.

The harvest is expected to consist of 8.638 million tonnes of white maize, used for human consumption, and 7.716 million tonnes of yellow maize, used mainly in animal feed.