South Africa misses crop planting target as drought bites

Planted area for South Africa’s summer crops such as corn, sunflowers and soybeans is set to fall 8% short of farmers’ targets and 7% down on the 2017 crop year as drier, hotter weather prevented sowing, the country’s Crop Estimates Committee said Tuesday.

The total planted area is expected to reach 3.7 million hectares, down from a goal of 4.03 million hectares and falling short of last year’s 3.99 million hectares of planted area.

“Less favourable rainfall and warm temperatures in the western producing areas over the past few weeks prevented producers from planting their intended area with summer crops, especially in the Free State and North West provinces,” according to a report from the committee.

Corn is the nation’s principal summer crop and plantings are expected to fall to 2.3 million hectares, down 6.5% versus a goal of 2.47 million hectares and down 12% on last year's planted area of 2.63 million.

Soybean is also expected to fall versus the target, with the planted area expected to reach 701,000 hectares, down 2.6% on the goal of 720,000 hectares, but up more than 22% on the previous planted area of 574,000 hectares.

South Africa is estimated to be in balance in the 2017/18 crop year when it comes to corn, producing 12.5 million mt versus consumption of 12.1 million mt, according to data from the International Grains Council.

It is expected to be a net exporter of 1.9 million mt, down from 2.4 million mt.

However, it has been chewing through its vast stocks of corn, data for December from the country’s agriculture ministry showed earlier this month.

Stocks at the end of December stood at 8.2 million mt, down from 9.19 million mt at the end of November – a near 11% change.

South Africa is undergoing its worst drought in a century with the major tourist city of Cape Town already rationing water, as city officials said last week the taps would run dry on April 22 at current rates.