From planting to pollination, which is typically the period between October and February, the weather becomes an important factor in the South African summer grains and oilseeds market.
Fortunately, this year, although there are concerns about a possible El Niño later in summer, the season started on a sound footing with widespread rainfall in the eastern and central parts of the country.
The planting activity is gaining ground in most areas, but it is yet to be seen if it will reach the intended area of 4.03 million tonnes in the 2018/19 production season, an increase of 5 percent year-on-year.
In the winter crop growing areas, harvesting is gaining momentum and the progress is reflected in the volume of wheat delivered to commercial silos in the Western Cape. There will most likely be good progress within the next two weeks as the weather forecast currently shows clear skies over most parts of the province.
The SAFEX beef carcass market experienced a quiet week with prices unchanged from levels seen last week. In terms of the supply, the South African farmers slaughtered 189 108 head of cattle in September 2018, down by 11 percent year-on-year due to the herd rebuilding process after a reduction during the 2015-16 drought.
