South Africa’s 2020 maize harvest seen up 31% from previous season

South Africa will likely harvest 31% more maize in 2020 after good weather condition and increased yields in the Free State, North West provinces, the government’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Wednesday.

Giving its second production forecast for the 2020 crop, the CEC estimated production at 14.809 million tonnes, compared with 11.275 million tonnes harvested in the previous year when dry conditions affected plantings.

The CEC’s estimate is slightly under a Reuters survey of an average estimate of five traders and analysts that the pegged the harvest at 14.959 million tonnes.

The crop is forecast to consist of 8.523 million tonnes of white maize, used for human consumption, and 6.286 million tonnes of yellow maize used mainly in animal feed to have been planted.