More meat; more money! Make this note ahead of payday grocery shopping
Meat and maize; some of the most bought items for our households, will be going up in price... Sigh.
Food prices are a little more pricey now. There are talks of electricity tariffs going up and now these two staples - maize and meat - will be going up soon.
This is a result of the recent rain damage to maize fields.
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In a recent report by Grain SA, 22% of grain farmers in South Africa said they expect more than 60% of their white maize area to be negatively affected by excessive rain.
That is going to have a huge effect on so many families' grocery spend, as pap, porridge, and other maize items are consumed often in our households. This also filters down to the price of meat, as the food they consume has become more expensive.
This report draws from a survey conducted by Grain SA on 434 farmers and takes a look at the extent of the damage to maize and other grains caused by excessive rain this summer.
According to the report, the Northern Cape, and western and eastern Free State, were the most affected grain-growing regions.
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It also reported that yellow maize has also been affected, with 14% of the farmers saying that they expect more than 60% of the yellow maize area will be affected.
Dirk Strydom, Grain SA Marketing, Nampo and Research Coordination lead, shared that although the summer crops are highly affected, it is difficult to conclude whether South Africa will face a potential shortage of maize.
"It is very early and therefore difficult to say what the impact on the crop is at this point. [We] would only be able to estimate by February, with the first official crop estimate," Strydom shared.
The Crop Estimates Committee of the South African Grain Information Service will release its latest crop estimates for the maize industry on 27 February.
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So, ahead of payday, be sure to keep an eye on your Pick n Pay, Checkers, Shoprite, and other supermarkets' adverts.
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