The forecast of a record corn harvest in South Africa will increase pressure on prices.

South African farmers are likely to have harvested the second-largest corn crop in the country's history in 2025, thanks to strong rainfall at the beginning of the year. According to the Crop Estimates Committee, commercial producers harvested around 16.4 million tons of white and yellow corn — 0.7% more than forecast in October, significantly exceeding last year's harvest of 12.9 million tons, which was the lowest since 2019. In the country, the largest corn producer on the continent, white varieties are traditionally used to prepare the popular dish pap, while yellow varieties are mainly used for animal feed. The increase in yield can positively affect inflation expectations, as corn is an important component of the food basket and the livestock sector. In the next season, farmers plan to increase the area under corn by 2.7% to 2.67 million hectares, which will be the highest since 2021. The northeastern regions of the country, including the provinces of Free State and ...