A farmer and her workers harvest maize. South Africa is expecting to
harvest its biggest maize crop in four decades. PHOTO | FILE
By BB
South Africa is expecting to harvest its biggest maize crop
in four decades, a year after drought devastated output of the country's
staple food.
Farmers are set to produce over 15 million tonnes which means
the country will have a 50 per cent surplus for the year, according to
government figures.
The bumper harvest is a result of good rains in January and February.
Prices down
The extra produce is expected to help to push food prices down, according to agricultural economists.
Food security is a concern for many and in South Africa rising
food prices have made life more difficult, particularly for the millions
of poor and unemployed, says the BBC's Pumza Fihlani
A drop in the cost of food would be a welcome relief for many households.
More than double
South Africa, along with the rest of the region, was still
recovering from the effects of last year's drought that was caused by
the El Nino climate phenomenon and led to widespread food shortages.
But, according to the local weather services, the rainfall
recorded in January and February this year was more than double the
average.
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