South African expected to reap a record 15.82 million tonnes of maize this season after better weather boosted yields. The estimate is 1.4% higher than the latest forecast from the government Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) which put the harvest at a record 15.6 million tonnes, double last year output. A drought triggered by an El Nino weather pattern left 2016 harvest at just 7.78 million tonnes, but favorable weather since has put this year crop on track to surpass the previous record of 14.656 million tonnes in 1981. The Johannesburg stock exchange white maize futures contract due in September has fallen 66% from its peak of R5 188 a tonne hit in May last year to close at R1 775 on previous close.