By this time next month, the fields across the eastern regions of South Africa will likely be busy. Farmers will be tilling the land for the 2024-25 summer grains and oilseed production season in mid-October. It will be another month before the country's western regions start till the land, from mid-November. The variation in the optimal planting windows is mainly due to the differences in rainfall patterns.

From now on through the season, the weather outlook will remain a primary focus for the agricultural stakeholders. We are, after all, emerging from a challenging 2023-24 summer grains and oilseed season that resulted in major crop losses. The latest figures from the Crop Estimates Committee show that the 2023-24 summer crop may have fallen as much as 22% from the previous season to 15,69 million tonnes.

The 2024-25 season seems likely to be a recovery period. So far, global weather forecasters such as the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia Climate School (IRI) continue to indicate an optimistic outlook about rainfall prospects. For example, the IRI sees a possibility of La Niña occurrence from this month to April 2025. This weather event typically brings above-normal rainfall for South Africa and the entire Southern Africa region.

The critical period for rainfall for South Africa's summer grains and oilseed is between October and the end of February the following year. This is a period between planting and pollination of the crop. The months after are essential, but the crop could still have decent yields even if there is less rain after the pollination.

Listen to the podcast for more details.

Podcast production by Richard Humphries, and Sam Mkokeli

My writing on agricultural economic matters is available on my blog: https://wandilesihlobo.com/ Wandile Sihlobo website