STAT Communications Ag Market News

Pessimism Over SAF Bean Yields

VANCOUVER - Feb 26/15 - SNS -- The South Africa Grain Information Service (SAGIS) is pessimistic about yield prospects for the country's summer crops, with the result gains in seeded area are more than offset by poor yields.

All crops are affected, including dry edible beans, with average yields for that crop expected to drop 15% from last year. The net result is production is forecast to drop 3% to just under 80,000 metric tons (MT) despite a 15% jump in plantings to 64,000 hectares.

Increased plantings are a clear reaction to higher average trading levels for both white and colored beans during the past two years. Area is up for the third year in a row, now at its highest level since 2002 when 77,950 hectares were sown.

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