Final area planted and crop production figures of commercial maize, sunflower seed, soybeans, groundnuts and sorghum for 2022
At a meeting held on 9 February 2023, the Crop Estimates Liaison Committee (CELC) oversaw the process for the finalisation of the crop production figures of commercial white and yellow maize, sunflower seed, soybeans, groundnuts and sorghum for 2022.
The estimated total production figures as released by the national Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) were revised, using the published figures of the South Africa Grain Information Services (SAGIS) of actual deliveries as the basis for the calculations. The figures from the maize utilisation survey to determine on-farm usage and retentions, which was conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the telephonic survey conducted by the National Crop Statistics Consortium (NCSC), were added to the SAGIS delivery figures to calculate the final crop production figures.
Comparing the final calculated crop figures with the numbers set by the CEC during November 2022, the size of the commercial maize crop is now 15,470 million tons, which is 0,54% or 82 800 tons more than the final crop estimate figure of 15,387 million tons. For white maize, the recalculated crop size is 7,850 million tons, which is 0,77% or 60 250 tons more than the final crop estimate figure, and for yellow maize the recalculated crop size is 7,620 million tons, which is 0,30% or 22 550 tons more than the final crop estimate figure.
In the case of the commercial sunflower seed crop, the final calculated crop figure is unchanged from the final crop estimate figure of 845 550 tons. The soybeans crop is 2,230 million tons (up by 1,32% or 29 000 tons), whilst the final groundnuts crop is 48 500 tons, which is 500 tons or 1,02% less than the final crop estimate figure. The sorghum crop also remained unchanged from the final crop estimate figure of 103 140 tons.
CELC accepted the final recalculated crop production figures for 2022 (please refer to the figures in the accompanying tables).
The CEC would like to thank all producers and industry role-players who provided information on a regular basis to improve the accuracy of the crop estimates. Producers, who do not participate in the Department's monthly survey, are requested as a matter of urgency to make an effort to contribute to the crop estimates process.
| Crop | Final area planted | Final crop | CEC area planted | CEC final estimate ¹ | Final crop vs Final estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2022 | Nov 2022 | Nov 2022 | ||
| Ha | Tons | Ha | Tons | % | |
| (A) | (B) | (C) | (D) | (B) ÷ (D) | |
| White maize | 1 575 000 | 7 850 000 | 1 575 000 | 7 789 750 | +0.77 |
| Yellow maize | 1 048 000 | 7 620 000 | 1 048 000 | 7 597 450 | +0.30 |
| Total Maize | 2 623 000 | 15 470 000 | 2 623 000 | 15 387 200 | +0.54 |
| Sunflower seed | 670 700 | 845 550 | 670 700 | 845 550 | – |
| Soybeans | 925 300 | 2 230 000 | 925 300 | 2 201 000 | +1.32 |
| Groundnuts | 43 400 | 48 500 | 43 400 | 49 000 | -1.02 |
| Sorghum | 37 200 | 103 140 | 37 200 | 103 140 | – |
¹ As estimated by the CEC on 29 November 2022
| Crop | Total | Producer deliveries reported by SAGIS ² | Projected deliveries ³ | On-farm for own use/direct sales, seed, etc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Mar 2022 to Dec 2022) | (Jan 2023 to Feb 2023) | |||
| Tons | Tons | Tons | Tons | |
| White maize | 7 850 000 | 7 500 177 | 172 823 | 177 000 |
| Yellow maize | 7 620 000 | 7 065 680 | 164 320 | 390 000 |
| Total maize | 15 470 000 | 14 565 857 | 337 143 | 567 000 |
| Sunflower seed | 845 550 | 838 361 | 7 189 | 0 |
| Soybeans | 2 230 000 | 2 162 437 | 25 563 | 42 000 |
| Groundnuts | 48 500 | 47 497 | 503 | 500 |
| Sorghum | 103 140 | 94 750 | 4 390 | 4 000 |
² SAGIS producer deliveries relates to the current crop.
³ Projected deliveries for maize, sunflower seed and soybeans are based on the historic trend of producer deliveries (as recorded by SAGIS) for the month of February. With regard to sorghum and groundnuts, projected deliveries are based on the historic trend of producer deliveries for the month of January and February.