By Nico van Burick
Farmers in most parts of the summer rainfall region are still struggling to access their fields for harvesting due to wet conditions.
Grain SA says although there are exceptions, the delays in the harvesting process is clear given the small amount of deliveries to silos which are below the average annual harvesting pace, as reported by the SA grain information service (SAGIS).
Corné Louw, Grain SA’s senior agricultural economist and head of applied economics and member services, says the large quantity of track belts that grain farmers are currently importing also shows how desperate they are to get their crops off the fields. “There are risks for some crops if they cannot be harvested soon.”
Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of Agbiz, says in the new marketing year for maize, which began on 1 May, there is a great need for days with sustained sunshine after the heavy rain in recent weeks.
“Fortunately, the weather forecasts until the end of the month look promising for the summer rainfall area, although light rain may occur in parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and parts of the Northern Cape.”
He says the late delivery of maize in the marketing year is evident from the mere 66 633 tons that were delivered in the first week of May. This is 79% less than in the corresponding period last year, while the previous production season was already poor.
“In the past season, we planted about a month later than usual because the rain was late. After that, the rain helped significantly until it became excessive, and everyone became concerned about the quality of the crops in April. We are still worried that some areas will have problems with the quality of their crops.
“The most important thing, however, is that we are in a recovery season. Our crop for 2024/25 is estimated at 14.66 million tons, which is 14% higher year-on-year. This is mainly due to higher yields. This is significantly more than the annual demand of 11.8 million tons, which will ensure that South Africa remains a net exporter.”
He says the lower deliveries of maize and soybeans are therefore not a cause for concern at this stage. If the weather remains favourable, deliveries will increase. He expects the biggest increase to occur in the last week of May or at the beginning of June after the Nampo gathering next week.
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