South Africa's Bountiful Maize Harvest: A 2026 Projection

South Africa anticipates a 2.5% increase in its maize harvest for the 2025/2026 season, with a projected yield of 17.064 million metric tons. The Crop Estimates Committee forecasts white maize for human consumption at 9.179 million tons and yellow maize for animal feed at 7.885 million tons.

South African farmers are gearing up for a promising maize harvest in the 2025/2026 season, with expectations set for a 2.5% increase compared to the previous season. This optimistic forecast was released by the government's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) on Tuesday.

The CEC's latest estimate positions the 2026 maize harvest at 17.064 million metric tons, showing an uptick from the 16.65 million metric tons gathered the season prior. In their previous assessment, released on April 23, the CEC had projected the harvest at 16.835 million metric tons.

Of the anticipated yield, approximately 9.179 million metric tons will comprise white maize, intended for human consumption, while 7.885 million metric tons will be yellow maize, primarily used as animal feed.