According to him severe water shortages are still vivid in some farming communities in die Western Cape. This is specifically the case with agricultural production which has not fully recovered from the drought damage in 2017. Sihlobo says the slow recovery has been evident in a poor harvest in wine grapes and some horticultural products since last year, despite the recent improvement in rainfall. He is of the opinion that the province will have to receive average or above-average rainfall for a few more seasons in order for orchards to bounce back to pre-2017 levels. 

He says South Africa’s maize supplies for the 2018/19 production year are shaping better than expected at the beginning of the year when dryness in the western parts of the country led to delayed plantings. It is clear that South Africa will remain a net exporter of maize in the 2019/20 marketing year.

Here is Sihlobo…

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