MAIZE AND SOYBEAN CROP OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH AFRICA’S 2024/2025 SEASON: RECOVERY SIGNS AMIDST WEATHER AND MARKET CHALLENGES
Following a challenging 2023/2024 summer crop season in which South Africa’s grains and oilseeds production fell by 24% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 15.4 million tons, a rebound period may be on the horizon. According to statistics issued by the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) on January 29, farmers intended to plant 4.47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in 2024/2025 season and the preliminary area planted is estimated to be 4.45 million hectares.