SOUTH AFRICA (20 February)
With below normal and erratic rains so far the 2004/05 agricultural season for the main crops did not start very well in South Africa. However, relief was brought by heavy precipitation in December and late in January in the maize triangle in the north-eastern part of the country. Western Cape Province is experiencing a third year of drought in a row. Nationally maize plantings this season are estimated at about 3 million hectares, more or less similar to the year before. The first official estimate for 2005 summer maize crop is put at 10.5 million tonnes, about 8 percent above last year.
The final official production estimate for the winter wheat crop harvested in October-November 2004, at 1.7 million tonnes, indicates an increase by about 10 percent over the previous year. This would translate into a wheat import requirement for the year in the magnitude of one million tonnes. The final estimate of total maize harvest of 2004 has been revised upwards by the country’s Crop Estimation Committee (CEC) to 9.7 million tonnes. In spite of the much publicised drought in the country this level of production is almost the same as the year before and even slightly better than the previous five year average.
With the fear of a severe drought in the country in 2004, the SAFEX price of white maize had soared to US$216/tonne in early February 2004 which has now declined to about US$105/tonne by early February with improved crop production locally and internationally and substantial drop in the international price of maize.