Grain body says SA may need to import 5 mln tonnes of maize

South Africa may need to import as much as five million tonnes of maize this year, roughly half of its requirements, in the face of its worst drought in three decades, the largest producer group said on Wednesday.

"We will be lucky if we produce 5 million tonnes this year and then we will need to import 5 million tonnes. This is the sort of scenario that we are looking at," Jannie de Villiers, Chief Executive of Grain SA, told Reuters in an interview.

South African white maize prices doubled last year and the March White maize contract hit a record high of 4,901 rand ($311 )a tonne on Tuesday on drought worries.

- Reuters