Soybean farmers in the Eastern Cape are expecting a bumper year as initial harvests and market predictions have shown great promise for the 2021 season.
Crops planted in October are now reaching maturity and producers from Ugie and Nqaqarhu (formerly Maclear) who have not started harvesting yet should be taking the bulk of their crops off their lands during the course of April.
Initial reports show soybean yields in Ugie way above the national average, while market predictions among farmers have prices ranging anywhere between R7,000 and R10,000 a tonne.
This, coupled with lower production figures from other countries producing soybeans, could see the market flourish for this underrated crop.
Originally from Asia, soybeans are known as one of the best plant-based sources of protein, and a staple in many vegetarian and vegan diets.
It is very versatile, and other uses include various oils, animal feeds and biofuels.
Rocky Park Farming owner Sinelizwi Fakade, 30, started harvesting last week and his fields are already showing promise of producing double the national average a hectare.
“The national average is sitting around 1.8 tonnes per hectare and I have already had fields yielding between 3.5 tonnes and 4.5 tonnes.
“At this stage, we are probably looking at an average of about 3.8 tonnes per hectare.
"It promises to be a very good season for us,” Fakade said.
This is his third season farming with soybeans and has 230ha producing the crop.
Fakade said he was keeping a close eye on the markets as prices fluctuated regularly.
His worst-case-scenario estimates will give him R6,900 a tonne before deducting input costs.
“Other farmers have predicted prices as high as R10,000 per tonne.
"So like I said, this promises to be a very good season for us,” he said.
In the same region, Sunrise Crops will soon be harvesting 1,000ha of soybeans, and manager Ernst Bezuidenhout believes the 2021 season will open many people’s eyes to the potential of soybeans.
Bezuidenhout, 35, said the decision to start with soybeans 11 years ago was met with a lot of uncertainty from his fellow farmers.
After three years of experimentation and research, they found a formula that worked and their production was split 70/30 between maize and soybeans, with maize taking a larger portion.
But the project has since gained a lot of traction and their success will see production being split right down the middle from this coming season.
“My father was cross with me when I started planting soybeans," Bezuidenhout said.
"He said it was a mistake and it would never be successful.
“Now he’s changed his own operations and farms almost solely with soybeans.”
He said 2020's yield was in the region of 3.8 tonnes a hectare, and their record yield was in 2015 when they harvested 5.2 tonnes r a hectare in places.
He is hopeful that the 2021 crop will exceed previous years.
“I remember what the plants looked like in 2015, and this year they look even heavier.
“I don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch, but things are looking very good.”
Bezuidenhout said the decision to increase soybean production was a no-brainer.
When compared to the production, processing and transport costs of maize, soybeans are proving to be much more lucrative.
According to his estimations, it costs between R20,000 and R22,000 to produce a hectare of maize, which yields about 10 tonnes sold at R2,500 a tonne.
On the other hand, it costs about R12,000 to R14,000 to produce a hectare of soybeans, which yields about 3.8 tonnes which sold for R6,300 a tonne in 2020.
“Higher value at a lower weight reduces transport and labour costs," Bezuidenhout said.
"We manage to half our risk and increase our profits.
"Soybeans really are very underrated.
“And because of flooding and a number of other factors impacting production in places like Brazil and Argentina, we could be looking at high demand and higher prices.”
HeraldLIVE
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