| More maize from local harvest |
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| Written by Staff Reporters | |
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The Namibia Agronomic Board expects millers to receive 58 000 tonnes of white maize from farmers in the current harvesting season, said chief executive officer, Christoff Brock. The season runs from May to July. Millers received 47 000 tonnes of white maize during the same period last year.
Brock said the good harvest would make the imports of white maize unnecessary until November this year.
“We consume about 115 000 tonnes of white maize per year,” he said. Brock said Namibia would probably import the remainder maize to meet demand from South Africa after Zambia banned exports this year. “Last year, we imported a lot of maize from Zambia. But this year Zambia has banned maize exports so we expect the bulk to come from South Africa,” Brock said. The board said, although the price of maize grain at SAFEX - the Grains Division of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange - has been stable for over 16 months, the expected increase in the prices of electricity and diesel will force Namibian millers to adjust their prices upwards. In April, the Electricity Control Board gave power utility, NamPower, a tariff increase of 18.06% effective 1 July. The price of fuel has increased six times this year, with diesel costing N$10.84 per litre in Windhoek. |
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