South Africa: Drought Hits Corn Yields
12 March 2007 The corn area in South Africa is forecast at 2.9 million hectares (Ha), down 200,000 Ha from last month but up 900,000, or 45%, from last year. The area was reduced from last month due to low rainfall preventing farmers from planting all their seeds and crop failures in many regions in the west due to moisture stress and high temperatures from early January through early March.
The estimated yield of 2.41 tons per Ha is below the 5-year average yield of 3.10 tons per Ha. Crop conditions were above average at the end of December, but prolonged dryness and near record high temperatures from early January through early March (during the critical pollination and early grain-filling stages) caused irreversible crop damage and lowered the potential yield and grain quality of the crop. In addition, the crop continues to wilt due to a lack of rainfall and warm temperatures in early March.
Crop conditions in the east are better than in the west, but yields in the east will also be below average. Rainfall in March would help to reduce further yield losses, but dry and hot weather during January and February reduced yields to below the average for most regions within the country’s "Maize Triangle."
On February 27, the National Crop Estimates Committee (NCEC) released their first corn production estimate for the commercial sector of 7.7 million tons on 2.59 million Ha. Next month, their estimate will include the developing sector, which last year was estimated at 300,000 tons on approximately 430,000 Ha.
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