SA to import maize after driest season in 100 years
"If the country is to survive beyond May of this year we need to have five to six million (tonnes of maize)," Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana announced.
South African farmers produce an average 12 million tonnes of the grain each year, but can harvest as much as 14 million during a good season.
The minister spoke a day after the country's meteorological services department declared 2015 the driest in 112 years.
The severe drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon has also affected most of the countries in the region, some of which traditionally rely on South Africa for food imports.
International experts say the 2015-16 El Niño is the strongest measured since 1997-98.
Sparked by a warming in sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, El Niño periodically wreaks havoc on world weather patterns, causing exceptional drought in some parts and floods in others.
Source: AFP
Source: I-Net Bridge
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.zaRelated
