SA Get First Imported White Maize Since 2017

The Port of Durban is receiving a shipment of imported white maize – the first import of the grain since March 2017, when South Africa was experiencing a severe drought.

- Liesl Peyper

The African Baza, a carrier sailing under the Bahamas flag, is offloading 23,700 tons of white maize produced in the US, while another vessel containing 46,000 tons of white maize is expected in February, says André van der Vyver, executive director of the South African Cereals and Oilseeds Trade Association (Sacota).

The current imports are necessitated by poor crops and record-high grain exports to Zimbabwe last year.

During the 2023/24 production year, grains and oilseeds experienced a bad year, with production declining approximately 22.5% for maize and 33.5% for soybeans from the previous year.

The Crop Estimates Committee in November 2024 estimated white maize production at just over six million tons – down 29.3% from the previous year – and yellow maize at 6.716 million tons (down 15.4%).