At the end of April, we completed South Africa's 2024-25 marketing year for maize. This marketing year corresponds with the 2023-24 production season, which was challenged by the mid-summer drought and led to the 22% decline in South Africa’s maize harvest to 12,85 million tonnes.

The big help in that season came from the gains of the previous ones. For example, the season started with 2,40 million tonnes of opening/carryover stocks from the past season, ultimately boosting the available maize supplies in the country. This added to the harvest of 12,85 million tonnes. These overall maize supplies were against the domestic needs of 11,6 million tonnes, leaving the country with substantial maize for exports.

The available exports were of great help to the southern Africa region, which was severely hit by the drought. For example, Zimbabwe lost 60% of their maize crop, Zambia lost half of its crop, and other neighbouring countries experienced significant losses. This meant that there was increased reliance on South Africa.

Thankfully, South Africa was better placed to help export more maize. At the end of the 2024-25 marketing year in April 2025, South Africa had exported 2,2 million tonnes, substantially well above the long-term average levels. About 66% of these exports were white maize and 34% were yellow maize.

Several countries benefited from these exports, especially in southern Africa. But no country benefited more than Zimbabwe, which accounted for 57% of South Africa's maize exports between May 2024 and April 2025, or about 1.3 million tonnes of white and yellow maize.

South Africa was exporting to the southern African region, so it had to import to supplement supplies, mainly in the coastal areas. However, another factor behind the increase in imports was the price competitiveness of imports. South Africa ended the 2024-25 season with 938,116 tonnes of maize imports, which mainly originated in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

Still, when one accounts for these imports and exports of 2.2 million tonnes, it remains clear that South Africa was a net exporter of maize in the 2024-25 season. South Africa did not experience a massive decline in maize production as its neighbouring countries did, in part, because of the improved seed cultivars and arguably better farming methods.

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Richard Humphries and Sam Mkokeli produce this podcast. Wandile Sihlobo website