SA’s 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 Tuesday.

The CEC’s third summer crop forecast estimates the 2023 harvest at 16.35 million tonnes, up from the 15.47 million tonnes harvested last season.

The harvest is expected to consist of 8.64 million tonnes of white maize, used for human consumption, and 7.72 million tonnes of yellow maize, used mainly in animal feed.