This was revealed during the quarterly agricultural markets outlook workshop presented by University of the Free State lecturer Johan Willemse. OFM News’ agri editor Sabrina Dean is there and filed this report:
 
Willemse says information at hand suggest more than 300 000 hectares of wheat could be planted in the Free State this year, up from around 80 000 hectares last year.
 
Wheat production in the province has declined steadily in recent years. The potential increase is largely attributed to the drought which prevented farmers from planting maize. Willemse says local producers are willing to brave the risks posed by high levels of global wheat availability as they attempt to try and realise some form of harvest this year.
 
The workshop revealed much greater confidence in the exchange rate, with the Rand expected to continue stabilising. However, grain markets, particularly maize, remain very uncertain.
 
There was strong interaction among participants on the question of whether or not a projected 2,7-million hectare white maize planting estimate could be realised. This as producers are thought unlikely to be able to access sufficient finance due to stringent lending criteria and National Credit Act restrictions.
 
Sabrina Dean/OFM News