SA maize crop bigger than expected

Johannesburg - South Africa on Tuesday raised its forecast of maize output for 2014 to 14.017 million tonnes from a prior estimate of 13.89 million tonnes as deliveries to silos showed a bigger crop of the yellow maize variety than previously expected.

The maize crop will consist of an estimated 7.697 million tonnes of white maize and 6.32 million tonnes of yellow, the government's crop estimates committee (CEC) said.

The estimate was slightly higher than market expectations of a 13.94 million tonnes forecast, according to a poll.

The CEC also said the preliminary area cultivated for wheat for the 2014 was 484 000 hectares, the lowest on record, from 505 500 hectares last year.