Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa
South Africa: Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel was 0 tonnes in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
0 tonnes
World rank
138th
of 181 countries
All-time high
300,000 tonnes
in 2002
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 2020
Years of data
61
1961–2021
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa, 1961–2021
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa is 0 tonnes, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
That represents a change of down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa peaked at 300,000 tonnes in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 2020.
That places South Africa 138th out of 181 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 27,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 27,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 36,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1964 | 36,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 45,000 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1966 | 90,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1967 | 79,000 tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1968 | 82,000 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 93,000 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1970 | 119,000 tonnes | +28.0% |
| 1971 | 223,000 tonnes | +87.4% |
| 1972 | 115,000 tonnes | -48.4% |
| 1973 | 122,000 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1974 | 132,000 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1975 | 110,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1976 | 139,000 tonnes | +26.4% |
| 1977 | 158,000 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1978 | 162,000 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 182,000 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1980 | 192,000 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1981 | 205,000 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1982 | 200,000 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 214,000 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 154,000 tonnes | -28.0% |
| 1985 | 120,000 tonnes | -22.1% |
| 1986 | 100,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1987 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 110,000 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1999 | 110,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 210,000 tonnes | +90.9% |
| 2001 | 200,000 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 300,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2003 | 300,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 300,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 250,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 2006 | 272,000 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 250,000 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 250,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 100,000 tonnes | -60.0% |
| 2010 | 16,000 tonnes | -84.0% |
| 2011 | 40,000 tonnes | +150.0% |
| 2012 | 29,000 tonnes | -27.5% |
| 2013 | 33,000 tonnes | +13.8% |
| 2014 | 1,000 tonnes | -97.0% |
| 2015 | 2,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 2016 | 3,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2017 | 1,000 tonnes | -66.7% |
| 2018 | 2,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 2019 | 5,000 tonnes | +150.0% |
| 2020 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 2021 | 0 tonnes | — |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11,000 tonnes. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2,000 tonnes. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +150.0% | 16,000 tonnes | 40,000 tonnes |
| 2019 | +150.0% | 2,000 tonnes | 5,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 57,222 tonnes | 27,000 tonnes | 93,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 146,200 tonnes | 110,000 tonnes | 223,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 148,500 tonnes | 100,000 tonnes | 214,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 102,000 tonnes | 100,000 tonnes | 110,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 243,200 tonnes | 100,000 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,200 tonnes | 1,000 tonnes | 40,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 2 |
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More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa?
- Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in South Africa was 0 tonnes in 2021, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 300,000 tonnes in 2002.
- What is the lowest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel?
- South Africa ranks 138th out of 181 countries with data for 2021.
- Is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity of cereal crops allocated to other uses (and not to human food or animal feed), predominantly industrial uses such as biofuel production.