winter wheat harvest – Agri Limpopo

The winter wheat harvest process is slowly gaining momentum in the Western Cape

Arithmus — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 06:48:30 +0000

The winter wheat harvest process is slowly gaining momentum in the Western Cape. The most recent data from SAGIS shows that 78 731 tonnes of wheat were delivered to commercial silos in the week of 26 October 2018, well above the initial deliveries of 7 716 tonnes.
While some areas of the province received light showers at the start of the week, which somewhat slowed the harvest process, there has now been an improvement. The weather conditions were generally favourable yesterday and some farmers have resumed the harvest process. Looking ahead, the weather forecast for the next two weeks shows clear skies with scattered clouds over most parts of the Western Cape, which means the harvest process could continue with interruptions in some areas.
We place more emphasis on this particular province, not only because the crop matured earlier than other provinces due to differences in planting dates, but because of its share contribution to South African wheat production. The province accounts for 49 percent of the estimated 1.86 million tonnes in the 2018/19 production season. Most importantly, the province’s wheat production is up by 54 percent from the 2017/18 season. This is due to favourable weather conditions which have led to fairly higher yields in most areas, not the expansion in the area. In fact, the area planted this season down marginally from the 2017/18.
This optimism does not only end within the Western Cape, but the crop growing conditions are also favourable in provinces such as the Northern Cape, Free State, Eastern Cape and Limpopo, amongst others – all thanks to recent showers and improved water levels in the dams for irrigation following good summer and winter rainfall. Above all, if the aforementioned harvest projection of 1.86 million tonnes materialises, South Africa’s wheat imports could fall by a third from last year’s volume to 1.4 million tonnes in the 2018/19 marketing year.

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Sourced: Agbiz, Agribusiness Research

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South African Agricultural Commodities Weekly Wrap

Arithmus — Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:44:42 +0000

From planting to pollination, which is typically the period between October and February, the weather becomes an important factor in the South African summer grains and oilseeds market.
Fortunately, this year, although there are concerns about a possible El Niño later in summer, the season started on a sound footing with widespread rainfall in the eastern and central parts of the country.
The planting activity is gaining ground in most areas, but it is yet to be seen if it will reach the intended area of 4.03 million tonnes in the 2018/19 production season, an increase of 5 percent year-on-year.
In the winter crop growing areas, harvesting is gaining momentum and the progress is reflected in the volume of wheat delivered to commercial silos in the Western Cape. There will most likely be good progress within the next two weeks as the weather forecast currently shows clear skies over most parts of the province.
The SAFEX beef carcass market experienced a quiet week with prices unchanged from levels seen last week. In terms of the supply, the South African farmers slaughtered 189 108 head of cattle in September 2018, down by 11 percent year-on-year due to the herd rebuilding process after a reduction during the 2015-16 drought.

Click HERE for the full report.

Sourced: Agbiz, Agribusiness Research

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Winter wheat harvest process is in full swing in the Western Cape

Arithmus — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 06:33:47 +0000

Winter wheat harvest process is in full swing in the Western Cape, with the progress made thus far reflected on the producer deliveries data which amounted to 250 376 tonnes in the week of 02 November 2018. This equates to 28 percent of the Western Cape’s expected wheat harvest.
The weather conditions were favourable in most parts of the Western Cape last week, and that enabled farmers to increase the winter wheat harvest pace. The progress made will be reflected in the producer deliveries data for the week of 09 November 2018 which are due for release tomorrow.
While the crop in other provinces is still far from harvesting due to differences in planting period , there are expectations of higher yields due to favourable weather conditions. This is specifically the Northern Cape, Free State, Eastern Cape and Limpopo, amongst others.
While production could improve in the 2018/19 season to 1.86 million tonnes on the back of the aforementioned favourable production conditions, South Africa will remain a net importer of wheat (1.4 million tonnes), therefore, developments in the global market could influence the local activities.
The USDA forecasts 2018/19 global wheat production at 734 million tonnes, which is 4 percent lower than the previous season’s harvest. The decline is mainly due to an expected lower harvest in Australia, Russia, Canada and the EU region amongst others. Meanwhile, consumption is expected to remain fairly stable despite the uptick in prices. As a result, the global wheat ending stocks could fall by 7 percent from the 2017/18 season to 260 million tonnes, which should support global wheat prices in the near-to-medium term.

Click HERE for the full report.

Sourced: Agbiz, Agribusiness Research

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