South African maize harvest down 9.8% from last year
Nearly 50% of maize grown is for animal feed
South African farmers are expected to harvest 9.8% less maize in the 2021/2022 season compared with the previous season, reported Reuters, citing the government's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) on Wednesday.
The CEC's latest summer crop forecast estimates the 2022 harvest at 14.713 million tonnes, down from the 16.315 million tonnes harvested last season.
The harvest is expected to consist of 7.470 million tonnes of white maize, used for human consumption, and 7.243 million tonnes of yellow maize, used mainly in animal feed.
Source: Reuters