Drought fuels the need to import maize

Johannesburg - The crippling drought has forced South Africa to become a net importer of maize for the first time in seven years.

This comes as the agricultural sector is expected to shrink by another double-digit figure when Stats SA releases the fourth-quarter numbers early next year, Agri SA said this week.

The sector took the sharpest decline, of 12.6%, between July and September, according to gross domestic product (GDP) numbers released this week, and the industry is less optimistic about the possibility of rain before March.