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THE
GRAIN AND OILSEED INDUSTRY
OF SOUTH AFRICA – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
ႃႈ
Production
It seems that maize originated in Mexico and Central America, and from there
spread across the globe, to the extent that it was regarded as the third biggest
staple food in the world by 2010.
Although maize was already cultivated by the indigenous population when the
Dutch settlement was established at the Cape, the first maize seed for commercial
planting was received at the Cape on 25 November 1655. However, according to
the diary of Jan van Riebeeck, the first seed was planted on his recommendation
only in July 1658. Naturally, it could not be cultivated successfully in the winter
rainfall region of the Western Cape, and maize cultivation was only really estab-
lished with the settlement of the 1820 Settlers in the Eastern Cape, and gained
momentum as the Great Trek progressed further northwards from 1838.
Maize production in South Africa only really became relevant after the discovery of
diamonds in Kimberley in the 1870s and gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886. Until
that stage the cultivation of maize was mainly done on the basis of subsistence
farming. The discovery of diamonds and gold, which was accompanied by acceler-
ated growth in transport and communication systems as well as other technological
development, led to a concentration of people in certain areas and promoted a
considerable increase in the demand for maize and other agricultural products.
Maize production was given a further boost when cylinder-type threshers became
available in 1902. Before that it was a major problem getting the maize kernels from
the stalk.
At the turn of the century, around 1900, the production of maize was stimulated
further by the start of maize exports. The first recorded maize exports were by a
7 000
6 000
5 000
4 000
3 000
2 000
1 000
0
Tons (thousand)
1986/1987
1987/1988
1988/1989
1989/1990
1990/1991
1991/1992
1992/1993
1993/1994
1994/1995
1995/1996
1996/1997
1997/1998
1998/1999
1999/2000
2000/2001
2001/2002
2002/2003
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
2011/2012
2012/2013
2013/2014
2014/2015
Western Cape
KwaZulu-Natal
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
Free State
Gauteng
Graph 9: Maize production per province
Eastern Cape
Limpopo
North West
12 000
10 000
8 000
6 000
4 000
2 000
0
Tons (thousand)
Total consumption
Human
consumption
Graph 10: Maize: Annual domestic consumption
1970/1971
1972/1973
1975/1976
1977/1978
1980/1981
1982/1983
1984/1985
1986/1987
1988/1989
1990/1991
1992/1993
1994/1995
1996/1997
1998/1999
2000/2001
2002/2003
2004/2005
2006/2007
2008/2009
2010/2011
2012/2013
2014/2015
IN 1907 ABOUT 490 378 HA
OF FIELDS WERE PLANTED
IN THE TRANSVAAL,
274 574 HA OF WHICH
WERE UNDER MAIZE.