Browse Data and Analysis

The enormous restraint on electricity generation and resulting power outages, locally known as load shedding, is emerging as a significant threat to South African agriculture. The cumulative hours of load shedding in the first seven months of 2022 already exceeds the annual record set in 2021.

The sharp upsurge in the cost of farming inputs for corn farmers in South Africa intensified the risk of production in a weather dependent industry, despite record-high commodity prices. As a result, Post forecasts that South Africa’s corn area will stay flat in marketing year 2022/23. However, South Africa should maintain its status as a net exporter of corn under normal weather conditions.

Interactive Tableau visualization showing what percentage of U.S. agricultural exports go to each of the top markets.

With a growing population and a market-oriented agricultural and food sector that is open to international trade, Mexico is an important agricultural trading partner for the United States. In 2021, exports of U.S. agricultural and related products to Mexico totaled $25.5 billion, showing an increase of 34.9 percent versus 2020 when U.S. agricultural and related exports to Mexico totaled $18.9 billion.

The South African retail food sector is well-developed and continues to expand into other African countries. In 2021, South African retail food sales totaled $40 billion, a 0.2 percent increase from 2020 as the South African economy began to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.