We knew from the start of the 2024-25 season that South Africa would remain a net exporter of maize, as the crop looked promising. With the 2024-25 production season over, with an ample harvest of 16.44 million tonnes, up 28% year-on-year and the second-largest maize crop on record, the export figures are also being revised up.
South Africa will likely export 2.4 million tonnes of maize in the 2025-26 marketing year, which ends in April 2026. This marketing year corresponds with the 2024-25 production season.
This is a slight upward revision from the last export forecast of 2.2 million tonnes. Still, it is down mildly from the 2.8 million tonnes we exported in the previous marketing year.
South Africa has already exported about half of the forecast 2.4 million tonnes, and we anticipate more exports in the first quarter of 2026, mainly to the Southern Africa region and the Far East markets.
About 1.4 million tonnes will be white maize and 1 million tonnes yellow maize, for a total of 2.4 million tonnes of exports.
Beyond these export figures, the focus in South Africa is on the 2025-26 production season (which corresponds with the upcoming 2026-27 marketing year). It is still early, and the planting is underway. Excessive rainfall is presenting challenges in some regions, slowing planting and seed germination in areas that have already been planted. Still, there is no panic, and we remain optimistic about the new season’s crop.
Overall, we expect robust maize exports due to a large harvest in the 2024-25 season. The exports will gain momentum in the first quarter of 2024, and Zimbabwe will likely remain a key maize buyer, as it has led imports so far.
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