SA Winter Crop Production Up, Wheat Harvest Down

South Africa's winter crop production for the 2026-27 season is expected to reach 2.67 million tonnes, a 2% increase from last year.

The estimate comes despite challenges faced by farmers due to higher input costs and drier weather in the Western Cape region.

Farmers had feared reducing the area planted for crops, but still managed to plant a decent area of 851 510 hectares, up 1% from the previous season.

The majority of crops show a mild annual increase, except for wheat, which declined by 5% and saw its lowest harvest in eight years.

As a result, South Africa is likely to import around 2.0 million tonnes of wheat, up from 1.9 million last season, due to the shortage.