Some Rain Would be Helpful for a Timely Start of the 2025-26 Crop Season

• 27 October 2025
• 0 Comments
• Agbiz
• Wandile Sihlobo

Some showers in the next few days across much of South Africa would help to ensure that the 2025-26 plantings in the western regions of the country begin on time.

In the western regions of the country, which are mainly white maize and sunflower seed areas, plantings begin in mid-November. Thus, we think that if we get nice showers in the coming weeks, these regions will be able to start planting. So far, these regions have received little rain, and soil moisture remains low.

Still, we are in a La Niña rainfall season, so we aren’t as worried about moisture levels this summer. We also had late La Niña rains, starting a month and a half behind the typical schedule, and still ended up with an excellent crop. That is what actually happened in the 2024-25 season, and yet, we ended up with an ample harvest of 19.94 million tonnes (a 28% year-on-year increase). There is an annual uptick in all the crops, mainly supported by favourable summer rains and the decent area plantings.

For the eastern regions of the country, however, the picture is more positive. These regions have received favourable rainfall, and soil moisture is supportive of planting activity.

Typically, maize and soybean plantings start around mid-October in the eastern regions of the country, and we have witnessed an increase in fieldwork over the past couple of weeks while driving across the eastern areas.

Therefore, when one sees a soil moisture map like this, there is no need for panic; these are still early days, and the weather outlook for the season remains positive.

Email: wandile@agbiz.co.za

---