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South Africa to remain net exporter of corn attributed to bumper harvest

Nov 9, 2021Nov 10, 2021 Editor

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa is expected to maintain its lead position as the largest exporter of corn in Africa, registering 40% increase of corn exports in 2020/2021 to 3.5 million tons, attributed to two consecutive bumper harvests. So far, in the first five and a half months of the current 2020/2021, South Africa has already exported 1.8 million tons of corn, comprising of 1.6 million tons of yellow corn and 237,092 tons of white corn. This equates to an average of 77,000 tons of corn exports per week,…

Zambia to register bumper corn harvest in 2021/22 increasing export volumes to 700,000 tons

Oct 14, 2021Oct 14, 2021 Editor

ZAMBIA – Zambia’s production of its single most important crop, corn, is set to reach an all-time high record in the Marketing Year (MY) 2021/22 reaching 3.6 million tons. The bumper harvest follows its production of 3.4 million tons in 2020/21 and 2 million tons in 2019/20. The steady rise in production is attributed to increase area put under production and productivity courtesy of availability and adoption of improved production technologies like higher-potential hybrid seeds and fertilizer. However, the cultivation of genetically engineered corn is still prohibited in the country.…

Nigeria consents open cultivation of genetically modified TELA maize with drought, pest resistance attributes

Oct 12, 2021Oct 12, 2021 Editor

NIGERIA – The Federal Government of Nigeria has granted environmental approval for evaluation and open cultivation of TELA maize, a new maize variety genetically modified to tolerate moderate drought and resist the fall armyworm and stem borer. This development now places Nigeria one step closer to commercializing the biotech maize following in the footsteps of South Africa and Egypt. The TELA maize project builds on progress made from a decade of excellent breeding work under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project. WEMA’s purpose was to develop drought-tolerant and…

Rwanda attains self-sufficiency in production of maize, wheat, soybean seeds cutting off imports

Sep 13, 2021Sep 13, 2021 Editor

RWANDA – Rwanda’s investment in boosting local production of seeds has begun to pay of as the government has indicated it will not import seeds of maize, wheat and soya, in the coming agricultural season. This, according to Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources Gerardine Mukeshimana, follows attainment of seed production sufficiency of 100 percent in the current season. “That is why in the instructions we gave to the farmers we have shown specific prices for these seeds and we will no longer help the farmers import them, whoever wants…

Zambia sources for alternative corn markets following bumper harvest registered in the country, neighbouring nations

Aug 19, 2021Aug 19, 2021 Editor

South Africa to remain net exporter of corn despite decline in production

Jul 22, 2021Jul 22, 2021 Editor

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa is expected to register its second largest corn crop output in history in the Marketing Year 2020/21, reaching 16.8 million tons. The bumper out-put is set to put downward pressure on local corn prices, which will influence producers’ decisions on the area to be planted with corn later in 2021, for the 2021/22 MY. Hence, a GAIN report by USDA, forecasts a nine percent drop in the commercial corn area to 2.5 million hectares, resulting in corn production of 15.0 million tons, which is 11…

Tanzanian agriculture firm FFF seeks to boost maize, macadamia production with US$1.1m investment

Jul 12, 2021Jul 12, 2021 Editor

TANZANIA – Farm For the Future (FFF), a Tanzanian agricultural firm has revealed plans of investing US$1.1 million in the construction of a dam and setting up irrigation systems. The facilities will be utilized to provide water for its 250-hectare farm put under maize and macadamia nuts production. According to reports by Citizen Tanzania, the environmental impact assessment on the project is under way and construction of the dam is set to commence in August 2021. The irrigation systems will be installed in 2022 to pave the way for planting…

Absa Bank Ghana alongside other investors participate in Ghanaian Green Gold Farms’ US$1.6m fundraising

Jul 2, 2021Jul 2, 2021 Editor

GHANA – Green Gold Farms, a Ghanaian agribusiness start-up, has completed raising US$1.6 million from Absa Bank Ghana, Diaspora Capital, Channel Ventures, EPMT Fund, and a number of early-stage seed investors. Green Gold Farms is a mechanized commercial farm, vertically orientated, and value adding agriculture business in the West African country. The capital raised will allow the farm to invest primarily in capital equipment to scale-up production of organic and non-GMO crops such as maize and soybeans; generate large numbers of well-paying, sustainable jobs; and launch an out-grower program for…

Kenya’s demand for grains to surpass local production forcing reliance on imports

Apr 21, 2021Apr 21, 2021 Editor

KENYA – Kenya is a diverse country with many agro-ecological zones (AEZs) which makes it ideal for agriculture production. However, the country is expected to remain a net importer for corn, wheat, and rice in the Marketing Year 2021/22 as local production does not match demand levels. According to a GAIN report prepared by USDA, the East African nation is expected to produce 4 million MT of its staple grain, corn, during the period under review. This will be against consumption levels of 4.5 million MT due to a rise…

Attractive prices lure Brazilian farmers to corn cultivation, production expected to hit 105m tonnes

Apr 9, 2021Apr 9, 2021 Editor

BRAZIL — Despite a smaller-than-expected first crop and delayed planting of second, Brazil corn produce is expected to reach a record 105 million tonnes in the 2020-21, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA in its report noted that corn production is expected to increase thanks to elevated domestic demand and record-setting prices which make the crop more attractive to Brazillian farmers. The Agency attributes boosted domestic corn prices to strong demand from the poultry and livestock sectors, the growing…