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South Africa risks importing maize by end-2011
17.06.2011 13:40 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
South Africa risks having to import maize by the end of this year if it commits too much of its crop for export following a bumper harvest, an industry official said on Wednesday.
Jannie de Villiers, chief executive officer of farmers’ group Grain SA, said the country has managed to attract more maize buyers after struggling to find exports markets last year.
«Our prices were fairly low compared to the rest of the world, and we attracted a lot of buyers. If we maintain that, we can actually do more than 3 million tonnes a year, but I don’t think we have as much surplus available,» he told Reuters in an interview.
He added: «There is a huge possibility that we might have exported so much maize and committed so much maize for export that we would have to import by the end of the year.»
South Africa, the continent’s largest maize producer, had to find new markets outside Africa after countries within the continent, which usually buy its maize, also recorded surpluses.
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