PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA — South Africa is currently harvesting its fourth consecutive bumper corn crop and its second largest ever, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

The FAS forecasts corn production at 17 million tonnes in the 2022-23 marketing year, which means that South Africa’s five largest corn crops were produced in the last seven years, driven mainly by improved yields and favorable weather conditions.

“South Africa corn yields have doubled in the past 20 years with the use of new production technologies and more efficient and effective farming practices,” the FAS said.

This year’s bumper crop puts South Africa in position to export 4 million tonnes of corn, which would be a record, the report said.

The bearish outlook on local corn prices will limit the expansion of planted area in 2023-24, the FAS said, as it projects a decrease in corn output of 7% to 15.8 million tonnes.