The area planted to maize for 2009/10 is expected to be larger than the previous season, the Crop Estimates Committee said on Tuesday.

It was releasing its estimates on summer crops for the 2009/10 production season.

"The expected area planted to maize for the 2009/10 production season is estimated at 2.572 million hectares, which is six percent or 144 500 hectares more than the 2.428 million hectares planted last season," the CEC said in a statement.

It said the figures showed producers intended to plant 1.644 million hectares to white maize, which was 155 500 hectares or 10.4 percent more than in the previous season.

In the case of yellow maize, the expected plantings were 927 500 hectares, which was 11 000 hectares or 1.2 percent less than in the previous season.

"These figures give an indication of the intentions of commercial farmers to plant summer crops as at the middle of October 2009.

"Farmers indicated that the main reasons for the increase in area planted to maize are that fewer hectares are going to be planted to sunflower seed as a result of the price difference and that fallow wheat lands are also going to be planted to maize," the CEC said.

However, access to production credit and the probability of a lower rainfall season could still influence farmers' decisions to plant summer grain crops, the CEC added.

In the case of sunflower seed and sorghum the expected plantings decreased by 28.8 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively as compared to the previous season.

The intended plantings of soya-beans, groundnuts and dry beans showed increases of 14 percent, 16,4 percent and 0,5 percent, respectively.

At the November 26 meeting of the CEC, the size of the summer grain crops for the 2008/09 production season would be finalised, it said.

Turning to winter cereal crops for the 2009 production season, the CEC said the production forecast for wheat was reduced to 1.996 million tons, which was 0.78 percent or 15 750 tons lower than the previous forecast of 2.011 million tons.

The yield was 3.04 tons per hectare.

The expected production was adjusted downward to 771 750 tons in the Western Cape, based on the results of the objective yield survey undertaken by the National Crop Statistics Consortium, the CEC said.

The area planted to wheat remained unchanged at 657 500 hectares.

The CEC said an estimated 315 000 hectares or 48 percent was planted in the Western Cape, 235 000 hectares or 36 percent in the Free State, and 44 000 hectares or seven percent in the Northern Cape.