El Nino May Bring First South Africa White-Corn Imports in Years
- Dry, hot weather has damaged the crop at a crucial time
- White corn is preferred for food across southern Africa
Photographer: Dean Hutton/Bloomberg
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South Africa may import significant amounts of white corn, used to make a staple food, for the first time since 2017 as the El Niño weather pattern withers the crop.
Dry and unseasonably hot weather that’s persisted across much of the country so far this year has slashed forecasts for the size of the harvest. The government’s Crop Estimates Committee on Tuesday cut its outlook for the white-corn crop by 11% to 6.28 million tons, while the overall take that includes the yellow variety is projected at a five-year low of 13.3 million tons.