The Xchange Platform Agricultural Market Viewpoint with Wandile Sihlobo

SA summer crop harvest set to recover robustly in 2024-25

Loading player...
South Africa's agriculture is recovering after a challenging mid-summer drought that led to significant crop losses in the 2023-24 season. The Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) 's data released at the end of March 2025 paints an encouraging picture of this new season's summer crop production prospects.

For example, the 2024-25 summer grain and oilseeds production is forecast at 18,0 million tonnes, up 5% from the previous month's estimate and 16% of the prior season's crop. This comprises maize, sunflower seed, soybeans, groundnuts, sorghum and dry beans.

Listen to the podcast for more insights.

Richard Humphries and Sam Mkokeli produce this podcast.
29 Mar English South Africa Investing · Food

Other recent episodes

Another boost to SA's 2024-25 summer grains and oilseed harvest

We are ending South Africa's 2024-25 summer grains and oilseed production season on an optimistic note. We now have eight production estimates with two more to follow, which are unlikely to change the positive picture we have. The data released at the end of September 2025 by the Crop Estimates…
3 Oct 10 min

Kenya's maize production has recovered

Similar to the improvement in maize production witnessed in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and other countries in the Southern African region, Kenya's maize crop has also shown signs of recovery. The latest estimate by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) places the country's harvest at 4.4 million tonnes. This…
27 Sep 11 min

South Africa's food price inflation eases

We see a constructive picture of South Africa's food price inflation, easing at 5.2% in August 2025, from 5.5% in the previous months. South Africa has an abundant harvest of grains, fruits, and various vegetables, and the benefits of this are starting to show in prices. It is these products…
17 Sep 10 min
All episodes