The 2025/26 soya bean outlook reflects structural improvement in the sector

Across the globe, soya beans are in high demand not only for livestock feed, but also due to continued interest as a source for plant-based proteins.

- Magda du Toit

For many years, South Africa was a nett importer of soya bean oilcake and only after investing in local pressing facilities and infrastructure development, has the market dynamics changed.

Over the past couple of years, the South African soya bean industry has undergone a period of remarkable growth and productivity, allowing the country to start exporting the commodity.

This also reflects an ongoing shift by farmers toward crops that offer better rotational benefits and long-term soil health gains.

New and improved cultivars, new technology, and adapted production and field management practices are contributing towards higher grain yields, better profitability and a more sustainable grain production industry in South Africa. Farmers have not only expanded the area planted to soya beans, but have also achieved record yields.

These results were evident in the results of the annual Grain SA Grow for Gold National Yield competition, where producers who entered in the soya bean category recorded exceptional yields across irrigation and dryland regions. Three yield records were broken, with one record more than 1t/ha up on the previous record.

Indeed, in the 2024/25 season, the average soya bean yield was 2,39t/ha, up on the 1,61t/ha achieved the previous season. Although the average yield across all production areas is still lower than the recorded yields in the yield competition, Andrew Bennett, CEO of the South African Cultivar and Technology Agency, said that the adoption of new varieties and new technologies (Intacta) will gain traction. He is confident that the average yield will continue to increase.

According to Corné Louw, applied economics and member services lead at Grain SA, these achievements are testimony to producers' determination and ability to adapt, as well as a celebration of the science behind cultivar development.

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