EU corn-buying spree is boosting rare trade with South Africa.

Europe’s hunger for corn is giving South Africa a surprising destination to sell more of its record crop. Africa’s top corn grower typically doesn’t export much to the European Union due to the long shipping distance and uncompetitive cost. But last year’s big harvest has cut prices, and should help South Africa ship more to the EU than in the previous six years combined, according to Strategie Grains. The increased trade comes as EU imports surged 41% this season amid strong demand for animal feed and cheap grain from more traditional suppliers such as Ukraine, Brazil and the US. Spain has accounted for all of the EU’s recent purchases from South Africa, whose last harvest more than doubled from a year earlier when the worst drought on record hurt crops.