MAIZE NEWS ON FASTMOVING

Higher prices of bread, wheat flour, rice and export fruit boosted branded foods and beverages producer Pioneer Foods’ performance in the four months ended January 31. read more

Nigeria is poised to overtake South Africa and become the largest maize producer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the 2018/19 production season, according to Wandile Sihlobo, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) of SA. read more

South African maize farmers, who historically produce the continent’s biggest harvest, have probably planted the smallest area with the grain since the worst drought on record three years ago. read more

Farmers will likely harvest 13.2-million tonnes of maize this year, which is 2% higher than the previous estimate, released in May. read more

Harvest activity is gaining momentum across South Africa, thanks to favourable weather conditions.  read more

Pioneer Foods enjoyed an improved performance in the six months to March, helped in part by a low base created in the year-earlier period when it was still dealing with the effects of the drought.  read more

The area planted estimate and third production forecast of summer crops for the 2018 production season was recently released by the National Crop Estimates Committee. read more

Earnings rose as much as 32%, and although revenue dipped, sales volumes rose and market share of some if its main brands either grew or was stable. read more

Farmers are likely to harvest a smaller maize crop in 2018, thanks to lower grain prices that came as a result of a bumper harvest in 2017. read more

The record 2017/18 marketing season is something of the past and the focus is now on the season ahead. Initially, before the optimal planting window for summer crops commenced in most parts of the country, widespread rain occurred, and it seemed as if it would again be a top season. However, the season took a different turn and the rain remained elusive for long periods, which delayed the planting process.  read more

The country is staring at a food shortage following declined maize and wheat production in the North Rift region - the country's grain basket this season caused by disease outbreaks and erratic weather. read more

Pioneer Foods sees a recovery in the 2018 financial year after disappointing results in the year to September. read more

South Africa boosted its final estimate for this year’s record crop as the pace of deliveries continues to point to a bumper harvest.  read more

A quarter of South Africa's surplus maize crop of four million tons has so far been exported to Southern African countries and to the Far East, as South Africa searches for new markets. read more

Agribusiness confidence took a knock in the third quarter 2017 as the unrelenting drought in the Western Cape and low demand for maize exports weighed on sentiment. read more

South African farmers will harvest 16.4-million tonnes of maize in 2017, marking the largest crop on record, the crop estimates committee (CEC) says. read more

South Africa has increased its forecast of this year’s record crop after farmers improved their yields. read more

SA could battle to offload some of its surplus white maize as major customers are also experiencing a production uptick. read more

SA will need to target Asian markets to boost maize exports in 2017 after bumper crops at home and in neighbouring countries depressed prices and dampened demand in Africa. read more

South Africa is expecting to harvest its biggest maize crop in four decades, a year after drought devastated output of the country's staple food. read more

It will be a year of plenty for SA with expectations for a maize harvest 87% bigger than the 2016 crop. The bounty comes after crippling drought in 2016 resulted in the smallest summer harvest since 2007. read more

Grain prices have steadily fallen since their record peak in the first quarter of 2016, supported by expectations of higher grain production and a stronger rand read more

Good rains and prospects for a bumper crop have seen South African maize prices fall to 2½-year lows and analysts say inflation should start slowing as a result in the third quarter of 2017.  read more

Pest control organisation warns that red locusts, which are 10 times worse than the caterpillars, must be stopped or there ‘will not be anything to harvest.' read more

Astral Foods on Monday (16 May) reported a slide in its first-half profit as the effect of the recent drought in the country took hold. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa imported white maize from the United States last week for the first time since 2004, the country's Grain Information Service (SAGIS) said on Tuesday (19 April). read more

Malawi - The Maize that is a food staple for much of southern Africa is now so expensive that it has become a luxury many cannot afford, after the worst drought in three decades damaged crops from Ethiopia to South Africa. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa cut its 2015-16 cotton production forecast by about 5 percent, bringing the total drop in full-year output to an estimated 44 percent, as farmers switch to more profitable corn crops in a drought period. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa's weather will remain drier and warmer than usual until the autumn season, which begins in April, the South African Weather Service said on Monday (29 February). read more

Johannesburg - South Africa will cut its maize forecast in the face of drought and late plantings that will hurt yields, a Reuters’ poll of five traders showed on Monday (20 Feb). read more

For the third week of February, imported rice recorded the highest drop of twenty percent. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa, the largest corn producer on the continent, will probably reap the smallest harvest since 2007 this year after the country suffered the lowest rainfall since records began because of the global El Nino weather pattern. read more

An amount of N$20 million was approved by Government last week for a voucher procurement system that will act as some form of drought relief measure to aid farmers. The scheme, after implementation, will subsidise farming inputs for the farmers and will lessen financial burden. read more

Johannesburg - A crisis is looming in southern Africa as fallout from a searing drought complicates efforts to ensure that millions of people do not run out of food. read more

The price of wheat has dropped in Ghanaian markets within the first week of January 2016. read more

Global food prices fell to a six-year low in July, but maize prices rose, which is negative for a maize-importing country like SA. read more

Harare - National Foods Holdings Limited (NatFoods) plans an $8.3 million capital expenditure targeted at upgrading its flour and maize units in the eight months to June 2015. read more

Bokomo Foods Namibia said this week that it has upped its game in the maize meal sector with the introduction of its new and improved range of Special, Super, and Unsifted maize meal products.  read more

Consumers stand to benefit as South Africa harvests its biggest maize crop in three decades this season, but farmers who did not use the pricing opportunity earlier this year are likely to lose out, according to agricultural analysts.  read more

The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) says the recent bans in the export of maize lacked transparency.  read more

Johannesburg – South Africa is likely to raise its maize output forecast for this year to 13,27 million tonnes from 13,02 million tonnes in the previous forecast, a Reuters survey showed yesterday. read more

Government is seriously considering a proposal by commercial farmers who want to export a total of 180 000 tonnes of maize to some neighbouring countries. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa is likely to raise its maize output estimates for 2014 after late summer rains earlier in March brought relief to drought-hit parts of the country, a Reuters survey has showed read more

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has so far offloaded over 200,000 tonnes of maize for sale to millers and selected communities, to stabilise the prices of mealie-meal in the country. read more

Johannesburg - Corn in South Africa, the continent’s largest producer of the grain, fell as a forecast for rain in one of the country’s main growing regions is expected to be good for crops.  read more

Johannesburg - South African yellow-corn futures rose to the highest level in more than 15 months in Johannesburg trading. read more

NWK Agri-services, formerly Dunavant Zambia, has diversified its commodity buying opportunities from cotton to soya beans and maize. read more

Johannesburg - The North West province on Wednesday declared there was a drought across its whole territory, an important maize growing region. read more

Buenos Aires - China has approved its first major shipment of genetically modified Argentine maize, Buenos Aires officials said last week, signalling an increase in competition for a market long dominated by US exporters. read more

Johannesburg - South African corn futures rose the most in more than two months after US prices gained as a government report showed cold and wet weather slowed planting.  read more

Johannesburg - South Africa, the continent’s biggest corn producer, cut its forecast for output of the grain by 1.6 percent because of drought in some growing regions, the Crop Estimates Committee said. read more

London - South African corn futures declined the most in more than a week as prices for the grain decreased in the US, the world’s largest producer, on concern demand from China will weaken. read more

Johannesburg - South African corn futures rose for a fifth day because of a lack of rain in the country’s main growing regions. read more

WINDHOEK – The Shadikongoro Irrigation Project is ready to put its first batch of sunflower oil on the shelves of stores, following months of hawking the much sought-after product at street markets in Rundu. read more

Johannesburg - South African corn futures fell to the lowest level in more than 11 months after the US Department of Agriculture raised estimates for world inventories. Soybeans declined. read more

Johannesburg - South African corn futures fell to the lowest in more than eight months as the rand gained against the dollar on February 1, reducing the cost of imports. read more

The Government has through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has embarked on a special exercise called Operation Flood the Market under which it will offload 112,860 tonnes of maize to millers across the country.  read more

South African maize prices closed mixed‚ while wheat settled the Monday session lower due to weaker Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT) figures. read more

SA maize and wheat prices closed the Wednesday session lower due to a stronger rand after the US dollar eased after news of US President Obama’s re-election. read more

Johannesburg - Pioneer Food Group Limited [JSE:PFG] said in a trading update before its closed period that revenue for the eleven months to end August increased by 10.5% to R16.7bn with volumes contracting by between 2% and 4% on average in the group’s product basket as consumer spend remains constrained. read more

Algiers - Algeria has decided to suspend import duties on animal feed, such as maize and soya, for 11 months from September 1 to protect its domestic market from high world market prices, a statement on the agriculture ministry’s website said. read more

With drought in the US, Europe and Africa threatening to send maize prices soaring, another threat to food prices has reached SA — Ug99, a variant of stem rust that could reduce wheat production levels. read more

Bloemfontein – The Free State Barometer fared slightly better in June than in May – but as in the rest of the country this province's economy is showing lacklustre growth for 2012. read more

Johannesburg - Maize prices ended firmer on Tuesday‚ rebounding from a two-day losing run‚ which traders had attributed to some profit taking.  read more

Johannesburg - Droughts, mergers and input costs are expected to push up food prices in the coming months, economist Mike Schussler said on Friday.  read more

Johannesburg - South African maize and citrus farmers are setting their sights on Asia as they grapple with increasing competition in Africa and falling demand in Europe.  read more

The Competition Appeal Court (CAC) this week approved the intermediate merger between Pioneer, a US based international developer and supplier of plant genetics and Pannar, a family firm based in Kwa-Zulu Natal, subject to several conditions.  read more

Johannesburg - Unbridled coal mining in Mpumalanga is putting food security under threat as 54%of the province’s surface area may be turned into wasteland. read more

South African maize futures finished the session higher on Tuesday, rebounding from a sharp selloff amid some bargain hunting. read more

Milan/London - World food prices eased in April after rising in the first quarter of this year, the United Nation’s food agency said, but inflation worries are still simmering as soybean prices climb. read more

South African maize futures ended marginally lower on Wednesday, weighed down mainly by the firm rand to the US dollar, and lower international corn spot prices. read more

Johannesburg/Hamburg - South Africa has committed an additional 400 000 tonnes of maize exports to drought-stricken Mexico, a scenario that will likely push Africa’s largest corn producer into a deficit situation this marketing season and propel domestic food prices higher. read more

Pioneer Foods said in a trading update on Friday that revenue rose 13% in the five months to the end of February, but volumes fell by an average 4%-6% in the group’s product basket on lower consumer spending. read more

South African maize futures ended mostly lower on Monday due to some profit taking following last week's strong gains.  read more

South African maize futures rallied on Monday, lifted by patchy rainfall in key crop growing regions in the country. read more

South African maize futures ended sharply firmer on Monday on supply concerns. read more

Johannesburg/Lusaka - A tight grain supply outlook after several bumper harvests is set to fan food price pressures in southern Africa, fuelling salary demands and threatening to knock the region's fragile economies out of kilter. read more

Washington - Global food prices are set to decline further in 2012 as a weaker world economy dampens consumer demand while food supplies rise, the World Bank said on Tuesday, warning that a possible rise in oil prices could reverse the trend. read more

South African maize futures reversed earlier gains to finish the session weaker on Monday, as market players liquidated their positions on March contracts to focus on July contracts in an otherwise quite market, according to a local dealer.  read more

Johannesburg - South African farmers have planted 11% more acreage this season compared to last year because of higher prices while wheat output is seen higher than previously expected, a government agency said on Tuesday. read more

South African maize futures lifted on Thursday, buoyed largely by strong exports and world prices. read more

Food prices continue to soar ahead of Christmas, and there is no stopping the trend. read more

South Africa's May 2010-April 2011 maize harvest fell nearly 20 percent from the previous season, in line with market expectations, due to unfavourable weather conditions, the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Thursday. read more

Food group still required to pay fine of R200m for price-fixing, extraordinarily competitive landscape caused by competition settlement  read more

Grain SA CEO says SA will run out of maize as early as next month after the country’s maize surplus was exported read more

Christmas shoppers may be hit by high chicken prices this festive season, due to rising input costs.  read more