Zimbabwe's "Record-High" Maize Imports Strain South Africa's Drought-Hit Supplies
South Africa is currently importing thousands of tonnes of maize, marking the first import of this grain since the severe drought in March 2017.
MoneyWeb reports that the current imports are necessary due to poor crop yields and record-high grain exports to Zimbabwe in 2024.
André van der Vyver, executive director of the South African Cereals and Oilseeds Trade Association (SACOTA), said the African Baza, a bulk carrier sailing under the Bahamas flag, is currently offloading 23,700 tons of white maize from the US.
Another vessel carrying 46,000 tonnes of white maize is expected in February.
In the 2023/24 production year, grain and oilseed crops suffered significantly, with maize production declining by approximately 22.5% and soybeans by 33.5% compared to the previous year.
The Crop Estimates Committee, in November 2024, estimated white maize production at just over six million tonnes, a 29.3% decrease from the previous year. Yellow maize production was estimated at 6.716 million tonnes, down 15.4%. Said Van der Vyver:
In the South African seasonal crop cycle, these products should last until approximately March/April 2025 before the new crop [planted in November and December 2024)] will become available again.
However, as early as February 2024 it became evident that South Africa would have to import yellow maize and possibly white maize and soybeans. Said Van der Vyver:
South Africa had just enough grains to feed itself, but we also supply grain to countries in the SACU [Southern African Customs Union] region.
We did not fully anticipate that the drought would also affect crop production in these countries, and we saw a strong demand from particularly Zimbabwe for white and yellow maize…
Yellow maize and soybean meal imports continued throughout the latter part of last year.
To date, SACOTA’s multi-national grain trading members have imported approximately 518,000 tonnes of yellow maize.
According to Van der Vyver, maize imports are expected to continue until the end of April. The new production season began with good and continuous rain shortly before Christmas, and most planting has already been completed.
South Africans consume approximately 11.7 million tonnes of maize per year. On average, about 1.5 million tonnes of maize have been exported annually to other African countries over the past five years.
Van der Vyver noted that white maize remains a staple food for many South Africans, while yellow maize and soybeans are primarily used in the broiler industry.
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