Weaker Rand Could Bolster Grain Income

- Sabrina Dean

The maize surplus in South Africa is expected to reach about four million tons by the end of April 2018, and if favourable growing conditions persist, the surplus could increase even further into next season. This was one of the predictions for the local agricultural trading environment for 2018 that was discussed during a workshop presented by agricultural economist, Prof Johan Willemse, in Bloemfontein recently. According to Willemse, the new season’s grain crop could reach similar volumes as produced in the 2017 season, if the summer production regions received normal rainfall.

“Yes, the rain in parts of the summer rainfall region is late, but we saw a similar situation last year and farmers went on to produce a record maize crop,” he said.

He said that if farmers in the summer production regions experienced a normal season in terms of rainfall, the 2018 maize crop could amount to about 13 million tons.