The outbreak of animal disease is a concern but there’s good news from the field crops, horticulture and poultry sectors
The recovery of crops bodes well for consumers as prices should come down
This could be good for consumers as prices drop.
Better operating conditions and relatively lower interest rates are essentially the supporting factors for machinery sales
The 2023-24 production estimate has been lowered by 2% to 13.06 million tonnes, 21% down from the 2022-23 season
Warmer, drier weather in the coming weeks would boost production in the Western Cape where two-thirds of South Africa’s wheat is grown.
White maize prices are likely to be 30% higher, with yellow maize up by 20%
During El Niño spring rainfall will be above-normal for most of the country and below-normal summer rainfall over the central to western regions and above-normal rainfall in the northeast
Grain supplies for both domestic consumption and export remain healthy
The maize yield is above the 10-year average even though the area planted is lower than last year
We will have a poorer harvest than the glowing 2020-21 harvest, but will probably not have to import supplies