Final area planted and crop production figures of commercial maize, sunflower seed, soybeans, groundnuts and sorghum (2024)
At a meeting held on 13 February 2025, 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 2024.
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, sunflower seed, soybeans, groundnuts and sorghum 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 2024, the size of the commercial maize crop is now 12,850 mill. tons, which is 0,99% or 125 950 tons more than the final crop estimate figure of 12,724 mill. tons. For white maize, the recalculated crop size is 6,055 mill. tons, which is 0,80% or 47 900 tons more than the final crop estimate figure, and for yellow maize the recalculated crop size is 6,795 mill. tons, which is 1,16% or 78 050 tons more than the final crop estimate figure.
In the case of the commercial sunflower seed crop, the final calculated crop figure is 632 000 tons, which is 0,59% or 3 750 tons less than the final crop estimate figure of 635 750 tons. The soybeans crop is 1,848 mill. tons (up by 0,42% or 7 710 tons), whilst the final groundnuts crop is 52 000 tons, which is 255 tons or 0,49% more than the final crop estimate figure. The sorghum crop is slightly adjusted upward by 0,19% (or 190 tons) to 98 000 tons.
CELC accepted the final recalculated crop production figures for 2024 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | ||
| Ha | Tons | Ha | Tons | % | |
| (A) | (B) | (C) | (D) | (B) ÷ (D) | |
| White maize | 1 554 750 | 6 055 000 | 1 554 750 | 6 007 100 | 0.80 |
| Yellow maize | 1 081 500 | 6 795 000 | 1 081 500 | 6 716 950 | 1.16 |
| Total Maize | 2 636 250 | 12 850 000 | 2 636 250 | 12 724 050 | 0.99 |
| Sunflower seed | 529 000 | 632 000 | 529 000 | 635 750 | -0.59 |
| Soybeans | 1 150 500 | 1 848 000 | 1 150 500 | 1 840 290 | 0.42 |
| Groundnuts | 41 200 | 52 000 | 41 200 | 51 745 | 0.49 |
| Sorghum | 41 200 | 98 000 | 42 100 | 97 810 | 0.19 |
¹ As estimated by the CEC on 27 November 2024
| Crop | Total ¹ | Producer deliveries reported by SAGIS ² | Projected deliveries ³ | On-farm for own use / direct sales, seed, etc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Mar 2024 - Dec 2024) | (Jan 2025 - Feb 2025) | |||
| Tons | Tons | Tons | Tons | |
| White maize | 6 055 000 | 5 699 058 | 185 942 | 170 000 |
| Yellow maize | 6 795 000 | 6 113 188 | 231 812 | 450 000 |
| Total Maize | 12 850 000 | 11 812 246 | 417 754 | 620 000 |
| Sunflower seed | 632 000 | 630 543 | 1 457 | 0 |
| Soybeans | 1 848 000 | 1 787 662 | 20 338 | 40 000 |
| Groundnuts | 52 000 | 51 134 | 616 | 250 |
| Sorghum | 98 000 | 93 038 | 2 762 | 2 200 |
¹ Final crop production figures = SAGIS producer deliveries from 1 March to 28 February PLUS on-farm usage.
² SAGIS producer deliveries relates to the actual monthly producer deliveries, i.e. 1 March to 31 December.
³ Projected producer deliveries for maize, sunflower seed and soybeans for the month of January are based on unverified weekly producer deliveries (as recorded by SAGIS), whereas projected producer deliveries for the month of February are based on the historic trend of producer deliveries. With regard to sorghum and groundnuts, projected deliveries are based on the historic trend of producer deliveries for the month of January and February.