SA’s maize harvest to fall 10% this year

South African farmers are expected to harvest 10% less maize in the 2021/2022 season compared with the previous season, the government’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Monday.

The CEC’s second summer crop forecast estimates the 2022 harvest at 14.684 million tonnes, down from the 16.315 million tonnes harvested last season.

The harvest is expected to consist of 7.570 million tonnes of white maize, used for human consumption, and 7.115 million tonnes of yellow maize, used mainly in animal feed.