NEWS
Maize imports: You’ll pay more for feed
A
s a result of sparse rain
having fallen in South
Africa's yellow maizegrowing regions last season,
expect animal feed prices to
increase dramatically in
coming months, and certainly
until the next local harvest is
realised.
While white maize is mainly
used for human consumption
to make samp and mealie
meal, yellow maize is a staple
ingredient in the protein feeds
manufactured for many
animals, namely poultry,
cattle, sheep and horses.
However, poor rainfall meant
that the harvest just past was
considerably lower than
usual, and resulted in less
maize being available than
the local market requires.
As a result, the maize industry
has resorted to importing
additional stocks, both from
elsewhere in Africa and by
ship.
This inevitably comes at a
price premium when
compared to local production
because of two factors: the
parlous state of the Rand
against other international
currencies, notably the US
dollar, makes imports of
anything, maize included,
relatively more expensive
than locally produced
equivalents. Secondly,
transport costs, either for
movement by rail or road in
the case of imports from
Zambia, or ocean freight
costs, port charges and railage
Two busy
months
ahead
T
he next couple of
months are going to be
busy ones for
smallholders who like to
attend trade fairs, shows,
conferences and product days.
There's the on-going Spring
Festival running at Garden
World in Muldersdrift. Apart
from a range of show gardens
which are sure to inspire and
give ideas to gardeners of both
large and small spaces, the
festival includes the popular
re-creation of the awardwinning Kirstenbosch exhibit
at the Royal Horticultural
Show in London. The Festival
runs until the end of August,
and also includes a number of
events, full details of which
are to be found in the Diary
section at the back of this
magazine.
If the manufacture of dairy
products is a subject you
would like to know more
about, look up the Dairy Day
to be held at Belnori Boutique
Cheesery in Bapsfontein on
13 August. Apart from more
Continued on page 12
9
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inland, must by factored in to
the cost of the finished
product.