AGFACTS Newsbrief Summary - June 2009

·      Average annual wheat plantings over the past five years are approximately 720 000 hectares.   This is well down from the average level of almost 2.0 million hectares during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

·         Wheat yield has shown an encouraging upward trend over the past 40 years.   The current ten-year average is 2.51 tons per hectare.·         Intended wheat plantings of 646 000 hectares for the 2009 season are 13.6% down on 2008 plantings.

·         The bulk of the wheat plantings are in the Western Cape (48.3% of the total) and the Free State (35.6%) of the total).

·         The fourth production estimate for commercial maize for the 2008/2009 season is 11.514 million tons.   This is 9.3% less than in the 2007/2008 production season.

·         The overall trend in year-on-year price changes of agricultural machinery is downwards.   The current overall year-on-year price increase in nominal terms is 19.4% (smoothed).

·         Year-to-date tractor sales (five months to May) are 34.9% less than those of 2008.