BY WANDILE SIHLOBO
AT THIS time of the year many agricultural industry representatives travel across the country, doing farm visits and conducting regional meetings. About two weeks ago, I visited the small town of Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape, where I was to engage with emerging grain producers.
As I drove past the outskirts of Mthatha, I could not help but notice the fertile, green maize fields across the former Transkei. More so, I could see the joy in some farmers’ eyes when I highlighted the possible maize price outlook. It is clear that many of them are going to have fairly good yields this year, in contrast to those in the central and western parts of SA, which are experiencing severe droughts.
It is evident that the Eastern Cape experienced better climatic conditions this season than many areas in the traditional central and western maize belt of the country. Yet, this will not result in meaningful gains for national food security. The Eastern Cape, compared to other maize-producing provinces, produces a small quantity of commercial maize. In 2014, its total commercial maize contribution was a mere 0.78%, which is 111,000 tons out of 14.3-million tons produced that year, according to the National Crop Estimate (NCE) figures.
Nonetheless, many studies such as that of Benedict Mandlenkosi Gilimani, a former agricultural economics graduate researcher at Stellenbosch University, show that maize contributed significantly to household food security in the Eastern Cape. More
Source: www.bdlive.co.za
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