CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s urgent need for imported grain is likely to see trucks lumbering through West Bank streets for many months and congesting the area as they line up waiting to get into the harbour. Once inside, they will be loaded with Mexican maize shipped into the East London grain terminal. Resident Linda-Marie van der Merwe, said one company had five or more trucks hogging both sides of a West Bank road.
Transnet Port Terminals Eastern Cape spokeswoman, Sindie Ndwalaza, said they were trying to find new parking space inside the port for the trucks, but said the imports were good for the Eastern Cape’s economy and keeping people in jobs. Ndwalaza, after consulting the East London terminal manager Wandisa Vazi, said: “We are constantly exploring ways to alleviate traffic congestion during peak periods in consultation with our key stakeholders and customers – that is, creating additional staging areas within the port,”
Van der Merwe said: “The problem is still persistent”. She said the trucks had even parked across an entrance. The drought has seen production of white and yellow maize in South Africa down this year by 28%, from nine million tons to 7.1 million tons, meaning the country must import almost two million tons, according to Oxfam. So far, South Africa has only imported 155581 tons of white maize and has 845000 tons to go to reach its predicted need of a million tons. This is little more than 15% of the target but there is some time to go, SA Grain Information Service general manager Nico Hawkins said
Nelson Mandela Bay has imported 37000 tons of yellow maize since May. He said the picture for yellow maize, which is used for animal consumption, was potentially even busier, with only 275042 tons imported out of a predicted 2.2 million tons required by May. Hawkins said infrastructure in getting imports out of harbours and into the country was “a problem” although East London was “not so bad”. So far in the agricultural marketing year, which runs from May-to-May, East London had imported 30000 tons of white maize destined for the Eastern Cape.
Hawkins said SA’s domestic maize harvest was almost finished, meaning the present predictions of how much of the staple food would have to be imported were almost finalised. Farmers will plant again in October but only harvest in May when a new forecast is generated. Ndwalaza said: “Thousands of jobs at the local milling companies are secured due to these import volumes. “In addition, where possible, large consignments are also conveyed by rail to different destinations. We are delighted to have been able to support the socio-economic landscape of the region and the country as East London.”
