South Africa May Turn to Brazil to Ease White-Corn Shortfall
- Imports of key staple could reach 2.5 million tons by 2017
- Argentina another potential source after export taxes lifted
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South African buyers of white corn may contract farmers in South America for supplies as the worst drought since 1992 ravages the harvest of the country’s key staple food, according to the biggest growers’ association.
Brazil and Argentina could become significant sources of white corn for South Africa starting at the end of 2016 as food producers seek as much as 2.5 million metric tons for the marketing year through April 2017, Wandile Sihlobo, an economist at Grain SA, said by phone on Thursday. Shipments that large would exceed the previous record for white-corn imports of 747,000 tons set in 1996 by more than three times, data from the South African Grain Information Service going as far back as 1992 show.