South Africa issues permits for GE corn imports from US

South Africa has issued permits to import genetically-engineered corn from the United States to make up for a 22% drop in domestic production, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

South Africa could import 800,000 tonnes of corn in 2023-24 after producing its smallest corn crop in five years at 13.3 million tonnes. An El Niño induced mid-summer drought and excessive heat during the crucial vegetative and flowering stages for corn reduced the yield potential, the FAS said.

The white corn crop is estimated at 6.4 million tonnes while the yellow corn crop is estimated at 6.9 million tonnes. White corn is the staple food for many households while yellow corn is mainly used for animal feed, the FAS said.

South Africa already has imported 288,000 tonnes of yellow corn, exclusively from Argentina.

Despite the drop in production, South Africa is expected to export 2 million tonnes of corn to neighboring countries.

Given the high cost of transportation from South Africa’s summer rainfall production regions, it could cost less to import corn into southern ports than to transport domestic crop to millers and feed manufacturers in the southern and western coastal areas.

“South Africa’s corn in the northern region will continue to serve the demand in neighboring countries,” the FAS said.

Tags: yellow corn, corn, United States, Production, crop, South Africa, imports, genetically engineered