26-August-2022

News and Press Release in English on South Africa about Agriculture, Food and Nutrition, Drought, Flood and more; published on 26 Aug 2022 by FAO.

The annual food inflation rate was estimated at 9 percent in July 2022, up from 7 percent in July 2021. Despite the lower total export forecast in 2022/23, the average weekly pace of exports is quicker than the rate in the previous year. Wholesale prices of maize and wheat eased in recent weeks following the record and near-record highs reached in May. However, moderate rainfall deficits since the start of the planting in May in Western Cape, the largest wheat-producing province, may curb yields relative to the current good prospects. Harvesting of the 2022 summer coarse grain crops concluded in July, while winter wheat and barley crops are expected to be harvested from October onwards. Yields declined marginally compared to the average, which in part reflects the adverse effects of excessive rains during the early stages of the cropping season; weather conditions in the subsequent months were generally conducive for crops.