Maize

Experts urge farmers to prioritise strategies that limit disease spread, including crop rotation with non-host crops such as soya bean and small grains.

The funds, which had been placed under the Department’s recurrent budget, were used to pay maize flour millers.

Logistical costs have surged dramatically, with traders reporting that transport costs have jumped by US$15–US$20, nearly doubling compared to earlier in the season.

The government has imposed a ban on maize exports to curb further depletion of national stocks.

South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen welcomed the lifting of the ban, saying that the move marked a return to sound economic principles in the Southern African region.