Food Security Situation in South Africa

The State of

Food Security in South Africa

The state of Jun - July 2010

Food Security in South Africa

Contributing to the Southern

African Regional Food Security Update:

South Africa

Contributing to the Southern

African Regional Food Security Update

South Africa

Agricultural Situation / Food Availability / Food Access/Prices / Nutrition, Health and Food Utilization / Comments
  • Early indications are that producers intend to plant 548 000 ha of wheat for the 2010 production season. This is 94 500 ha or 14,7% less than the area planted to wheat in 2009. This is also the smallest area planted to wheat since the early 1900’s. The main producing areas are within the Western Cape with 277 000 ha (51%), followed by the Free State with 180 000 ha (33%) and the Northern Cape with 38 000 ha (7%).
  • According to producers the decrease in the expected planting of wheat is mainly attributed to unfavorable prices for the crop.
  • The wheat tariff was published in the Government Gazette on 30 April 2010. The tariff on wheat is R140,70/ton and R211/ton on wheat flour.
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  • Expected commercial maize crop is 13,317 million tons, which is 10,51% more than the 12,050 million tons of the previous season.
  • Projections for the current 2009/10 maize marketing season indicate a surplus of 2,203 million tons of maize at the end of April 2010. Thus, enough maize is available for local consumption and to meet export demand.
  • Projections for the coming 2010/11 maize marketing season indicate a surplus of 3,748 million tons of maize at the end of April 2011. Thus, enough maize will be available for local consumption and to meet export demand.
  • Projections for the current 2009/10 wheat marketing season indicate a surplus of 637 000 tons of wheat at the end of September 2010 when including imports of 1,2 million tons.
  • Projections for the coming 2010/11 wheat marketing season indicate a surplus of 584 000 tons of wheat at the end of September 2011, including imports of 1,6 million tons.
  • The area planted to maize in the non-commercial agricultural sector is estimated at 520 940 ha, which represents an increase of 11,1 % compared to the 468 683 ha of the previous season. As such, the expected maize crop for the non-commercial sector 605 864 tons, which is 17,3 % higher than the 516 633 tons of last season.
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  • As much as there cereal harvest looks for the current season there are still serious challenges in terms of ACCESS
  • 171000 jobs lost between the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010 (resulting in a total of (4,3 Million Persons Unemployed).
  • At least 79 000 of the jobs lost jobs were lost in the first quarter of 2010 (between January to March 2010) were in the formal non-agricultural sector.
  • Impact of jobs lost estimated at almost 1 million more people affected/vulnerable to food insecurity!
  • After increases of 14.00, 29.5 and 30.00 cents per litre of petrol, diesel and paraffin respectively, according to the latest information from the Central Energy Fund, fuel price are expected to decrease again on July 14, 2010. The decrease will be in the following order;
  • Petrol: 15.00 cents per litre.
  • Diesel: 16.00 cents per litre.
  • Paraffin: 12.00 cents per litre.
  • Fortunately, the rate of food inflation has dropped sharply over the past year, from almost 14% in April last year to just 6,0% some 12 months later.
  • South Africa’s food inflation and overall inflation are 0.9 and 4.8 respectively
  • Domestic price levels of grains and oilseeds (excluding sunflower seeds and groundnuts), have also dropped substantially.
  • Nonetheless, Consumers in rural areas continued to pay higher prices for food than consumers in urban areas (R17.78 more for the same food basket than consumers in urban areas in April 2010).
  • Overall, from April 2009 to April 2010 the cost of the basic food basket decreased by about R3.57 (1 %) in nominal terms.
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  • The percentage of people using the improved water sources in South Africa was 93% according to UNICEF (2007).
  • According to the World’s Children Report (2009), the under-five mortality rate in South Africa was 59 per 1, 00 live births in 2007 while infant mortality rate was 49 per 1, 00 live births.
  • A 33% (1.8 million) of children under six years of age were reported to suffer from vitamin A deficiency in South Africa while 21% (1, 2 million) are anemic (Medical Research Council, 2009).
  • Although the information on zinc deficiency is lacking, a study carried out by NIRU showed that 27% of pre-school children and 34% of primary school children in a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal.
  • Analysis of the findings for the NFCS (2005), as per the Hunger Index that was used, shows that the Eastern Cape is the province with the high prevalence of most of the food security and nutrition related indicators. Analysis indicated the highest prevalence of hunger and child hunger as compared to the other provinces.
  • Analysis showed that the Eastern Cape Province also has the highest increase in the percentage of hungry children from 29% - 43% indicating a 14% increase between year 1999 and 2005). The Western Cape on the other hand had low prevalence of hunger and child hunger.
  • Although the Northern Cape was also found to have the high prevalence of hunger (65.3%) and Limpopo (63.2) but figure 3 shows that at least there is a decrease in the percentage of hungry children in these provinces between 1999 and 2005 (NFCS, 2005).
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  • With a surplus of 2,203 million tons of maize at the end of April 2010, plus the expected 13,317 million tonscommercial maize crop South Africa’s food security situation remains is expected to improve.
  • These conditions are expected to remain stable at least until the 2010/11 planting seasons unfolds.
  • The good and stable food security conditions in the region (with only a few pockets of localized food security vulnerability challenges in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are also very good for the regional outlook on which South Africa equally depended.
  • Although farmers qualify for 104c/l diesel rebate, the projected fuel cost decreases in July are definitely a great positive for the current winter wheat planting season.