South Africa boosts crop forecast accuracy with satellite imagery

A reaper harvests a field of wheat in Orezu, southeastern Romania, July 2, 2014. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

PRETORIA: South Africa's estimates for key crops such as maize have become increasingly accurate thanks to satellite imagery and as farmers' often biased input has been cut out of the picture, a conference was told. 

South Africa's maize crop has been hard hit this season by a scorching drought, bringing into sharp focus the need for accurate forecasts of the harvest's size to guide government policy and markets.