2025 ICB: dryland winter crops in Southern Swartland
WINTER CROPS  //  2025 Income and Cost Budgets

Western Cape – dryland

Income and cost budgets for wheat and canola for Southern Swartland
Area Southern Swartland
Crop Wheat Canola
Production system Dryland

1. Income

Yield: deterministic Ton/ha 3.30 1.90
SAFEX simulated / derived price: 2025 R/ton 6 327 7 637
Total deductions R/ton 1 078 29
– Transport differential R/ton 800
– Grade differential R/ton 168
– Marketing, handling and statutory levies R/ton 110 29
Price premiums / Canola back-payment R/ton 764
Net farm gate price R/ton 5 249 8 371
Gross income R/ha R17 322 R15 905

2. Variable expenditures

Contracting R/ha
Crop insurance R/ha 50 46
Fertilizer R/ha 3 507 3 702
Lime R/ha 262 262
Seed R/ha 832 1 685
Fuel R/ha 727 557
Herbicide R/ha 1 639 962
Insecticide R/ha 240 602
Fungicides R/ha 647 577
Marketing costs R/ha 75 23
Repairs and maintenance R/ha 832 732
Casual labour R/ha 18 22
Aerial spray R/ha
Other expenditure R/ha 44 44
Total variable expenditure R/ha R8 873 R9 214
Total variable expenditure R/ton R2 689 R4 849
3.1 Gross margin R/ha R8 450 R6 692
3.2 Gross margin R/ton R2 561 R3 522
Break-even yield T/ha 1.69 1.10
Break-even price R/ton R2 689 R4 849
Source: Kaap Agri, GSA and BFAP, updated April 2025.
Gross margin comparison – Baseline: Swartland
Gross margin comparison – Baseline: Western Cape (Swartland)

Gross margin per hectare: Western Cape – Swartland

Wheat sensitivity analysis
Yield (t/ha)
Producers price 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.30 3.50 3.75 4.00
R4 249 1 751 2 813 3 875 5 150 6 000 7 062 8 124
R4 499 2 376 3 500 4 625 5 975 6 875 8 000 9 124
R4 749 3 001 4 188 5 375 6 800 7 750 8 937 10 124
R4 999 3 626 4 875 6 125 7 625 8 625 9 875 11 124
R5 249 4 251 5 563 6 875 8 450 9 500 10 812 12 124
R5 499 4 876 6 250 7 625 9 275 10 375 11 750 13 124
R5 749 5 501 6 938 8 375 10 100 11 250 12 687 14 124
R5 999 6 126 7 625 9 125 10 925 12 125 13 625 15 124
R6 249 6 751 8 313 9 875 11 750 13 000 14 562 16 124
Canola sensitivity analysis
Yield (t/ha)
Producers price 1.15 1.40 1.65 1.90 2.15 2.40 2.65
R7 371 -737 1 106 2 949 4 792 6 634 8 477 10 320
R7 621 -449 1 456 3 361 5 267 7 172 9 077 10 983
R7 871 -162 1 806 3 774 5 742 7 709 9 677 11 645
R8 121 126 2 156 4 186 6 217 8 247 10 277 12 308
R8 371 413 2 506 4 599 6 692 8 784 10 877 12 970
R8 621 701 2 856 5 011 7 167 9 322 11 477 13 633
R8 871 988 3 206 5 424 7 642 9 859 12 077 14 295
R9 121 1 276 3 556 5 836 8 117 10 397 12 677 14 958
R9 371 1 563 3 906 6 249 8 592 10 934 13 277 15 620
Canola margin above/below wheat
Yield Price (R/ton)
R7 621 R7 871 R8 121 R8 371 R8 621 R8 871 R9 121
0.75 -11 948 -11 760 -11 573 -11 385 -11 198 -11 010 -10 823
1.15 -8 899 -8 612 -8 324 -8 037 -7 749 -7 462 -7 174
1.40 -6 994 -6 644 -6 294 -5 944 -5 594 -5 244 -4 894
1.65 -5 089 -4 676 -4 264 -3 851 -3 439 -3 026 -2 614
1.90 -3 183 -2 708 -2 233 -1 758 -1 283 -808 -333
2.15 -1 278 -740 -203 335 872 1 410 1 947
2.40 627 1 227 1 827 2 427 3 027 3 627 4 227
2.65 2 533 3 195 3 858 4 520 5 183 5 845 6 508
2.50 1 389 2 014 2 639 3 264 3 889 4 514 5 139

Notes

  • Please refer to Methodology, Approach and Definitions for in-depth interpretation of enterprise budgets.
  • The canola back-payment assumes 10% of contracted price.
  • The cost items reflect the input allocation based on the target yield for the respective crops.
  • Although some expenditure items are zero, it is reflected in the budgets to allow for producers to allocate them individually.
  • The cost of fuel includes pre-harvest and harvesting costs with the assumption that own machinery is used.
  • Marketing cost assumes that approximately 15% of the wheat, barley and canola crop requires drying.
  • The cost of fertiliser reflects a combination of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other macro- and micro nutrients.
  • The costs for wheat, barley and oats seeds reflect a combination of own and purchased seed.
  • It is important to note that overhead costs are not included and should be accounted for. Overhead costs such as interest on production loans, labour, management and administration will vary to a large extent from producer to producer. Producers will therefore have to deduct the farm business' overhead cost from the gross margins as stipulated in the tables and figures to calculate the net income per crop.
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