South Africa is likely to have a maize surplus next year as favourable weather conditions encourage farmers to plant more hectares after a devastating drought last season, the head of the largest grain producer group said on Tuesday. A good maize harvest would help lower food prices in Africa's most industrialised country, which in turn could help contain consumer inflation.
An El Nino weather pattern, which ended in May, brought severe drought last season and led to the loss of livestock and the staple maize crop, pushing up food prices. "The positive thing is that we are starting with a lot more moisture in the soil than last year. The start for the season is very positive although there are some dry patches," Jannie de Villiers, chief executive of Grain SA, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"With the conditions as it is at the moment, we can expect a surplus crop," he said. South Africa needs 10.5 million tonnes of maize annually to meet local consumption needs. The South African Weather Services said on November 1 the country was more likely to have a wetter early summer season, from November to January, which is the maize planting season. The government has pegged the 2016 maize harvest at 7.5 million tonnes, 25 percent smaller than the 9.95 million tonnes reaped the previous year but higher than initial expectations when the drought was really biting.
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