SA's maize, wheat harvests expected to be bigger than last year

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South African farmers are expected to harvest 6% more maize in the 2022/2023 season compared with the previous season, the government's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Wednesday.

The CEC's latest summer crop forecast estimates the 2023 harvest at 16.40 million tonnes, up from the 15.47 million tonnes harvested last season. The previous estimate, published on Aug. 29, was 16.41 million tonnes.

Source: Crop Estimates Committee

The harvest is expected to consist of 8.5 million tonnes of white maize, used for human consumption, and 7.9 million tonnes of yellow maize, used mainly in animal feed.

Source: Crop Estimates Committee

Source: Crop Estimates Committee

Source: Crop Estimates Committee

South Africa's 2023 wheat output forecast is 2.13 million tonnes versus 2.11 million tonnes in 2022.