Final area planted and crop production figures of commercial maize, sunflower seed, soybeans, groundnuts and sorghum for 2020
At a meeting held on 11 February 2021, 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 2020.
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 2020, the size of the commercial maize crop is now 15,300 million tons, which is 0,70% or 108 180 tons less than the final crop estimate figure of 15,408 million tons. For white maize, the recalculated crop size is 8,548 million tons, which is 1,37% or 118 810 tons less than the final crop estimate figure, and for yellow maize the recalculated crop size is 6,752 million tons, which is 0,16% or 10 630 tons more than the final crop estimate figure.
In the case of the commercial sunflower seed crop, the final calculated crop figure is now 788 500 – 0,33% or 2 590 tons more than the final crop estimate figure of 785 910 tons. The sorghum crop were adjusted upward by 1,57% (or 2 440 tons) to 158 000 tons. The soybeans crop remained unchanged at 1,246 million tons, whilst the groundnuts crop also remained unchanged at 50 080 tons.
CELC accepted the final recalculated crop production figures for 2020 (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 November 2020 |
CEC Final estimate¹ November 2020 |
Final crop vs Final estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | ||
| Ha | Tons | Ha | Tons | % | |
| (A) | (B) | (C) | (D) | (B) ÷ (D) | |
| White maize | 1 616 300 | 8 547 500 | 1 616 300 | 8 666 310 | -1.37 |
| Yellow maize | 994 500 | 6 752 500 | 994 500 | 6 741 870 | +0.16 |
| Total Maize | 2 610 800 | 15 300 000 | 2 610 800 | 15 408 180 | -0.70 |
| Sunflower seed | 500 300 | 788 500 | 500 300 | 785 910 | -0.33 |
| Soybeans | 705 000 | 1 245 500 | 705 000 | 1 245 500 | – |
| Groundnuts | 37 500 | 50 080 | 37 500 | 50 080 | – |
| Sorghum | 42 500 | 158 000 | 42 500 | 155 560 | +1.57 |
¹ As estimated by the CEC on 26 November 2020
| Crop | Total | Producer deliveries reported by SAGIS² (March-December 2020) |
Projected deliveries³ (January-February 2021) |
On-farm for own use/direct sales, seed, etc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tons | ||||
| White maize | 8 547 500 | 8 199 388 | 93 112 | 255 000 |
| Yellow maize | 6 752 500 | 6 260 330 | 91 170 | 401 000 |
| Total maize | 15 300 000 | 14 459 718 | 184 282 | 656 000 |
| Sunflower seed | 788 500 | 784 230 | 4 170 | 100 |
| soybeans | 1 245 500 | 1 209 370 | 10 129 | 26 000 |
| Groundnuts | 50 080 | 49 345 | 485 | 250 |
| Sorghum | 158 000 | 152 444 | 4 706 | 850 |
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.