More maize planted than initial estimate

South Africa’s commercial maize farmers have planted an estimated 2,6 million hectares this 2008/09 summer. This is a 203 000ha or 7,25%, drop in the total area planted to maize compared to the 2007/08 summer.
However, this is still 1,33% more than the intention-to-plant figure of 2,562 million hectares released by the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) in October 2008.
The CEC has recently released a preliminary area estimate of summer crops, which predicts that current plantings of white maize are 1,6 million hectares and 997 000ha for yellow maize.
For white maize this is 7,97% or 138 500ha less than the previous season and for yellow maize it’s 6,07% or 64 500ha down on last season.
The latest preliminary area estimate for sunflower seed plantings is 600 000ha, a 6,33% increase on the 564 300ha planted in the summer of 2007/08.
Plantings of soya beans are 19,71% more than the 165 400ha planted last summer, bringing current plantings to an estimated total of 198 000ha.
Other current crop planting estimates are 50 450ha for groundnuts (6,92% less than last season’s 54 200ha) and 86 800ha for sorghum (a 0,23% drop on last season’s 86 600ha) and 46 200ha for dry beans (a 5,48% increase on last season’s 43 800ha). – Lloyd Phillips