August 27, 2009

South Africa raised its 2008-09 corn crop forecast by 80,450 tonnes and forecast wheat output will be lower than last season, the Crop Estimates Committee said Wednesday (August 26).

The CEC's seventh summer corn forecast was increased to 11.64 million tonnes from June's estimate, with the area anticipated to be 2.43 million hectares yielding 4.81 tonnes per hectare.

The white crop is forecast to come in at 6.77 million tonnes, and yellow corn at 4.91 million tonnes.

CEC member Rona Beukes said the committee had taken into account the latest reported producer deliveries.

"Farmers have harvested better than expected," Beukes said.

The CEC estimated 2009 wheat production of 1.99 million tonnes, which would be 138,980 tonnes lower than last season.

Some 656,200 hectares is expected to be planted, compared with 748,000 hectares planted last year, the CEC said.

"Farmers were not motivated to plant because of lower prices and relatively high input costs," Beukes said.