Drought Remains Biggest Risk To Maize Crop

Any reports of good rainfall over the next few weeks are welcome as there are still some regions where maize crops are under stress due to dry conditions, according to Grain SA CEO, Jannie de Villiers.

- Sabrina Dean

Commenting on the potential impact of early frost, he said there was a risk of some crop damage. “We know the whole [maize] crop was about a month late, so the risk is definitely bigger this year.” However, this was more likely to impact individual producers and was not expected to pose a major threat to the maize crop as a whole, or food security. Insufficient rain in dry areas therefore posed a bigger risk to yields than the potential damage from frost, he said.