THE IMPACT OF HAIL ON TRANSVAAL MAIZE PRODUCTION

Almost a quarter of South Africa's agricultural production is lost annually due to adverse weather. About 9 per cent of this is due to hail damage. This paper examines some spatial aspects of hail damage to maize in the Transvaal, using hail insurance data for the 1981/82-1986/87 period. In addition, the effect of hailstorm frequency, size and intensity as well as the susceptibility of maize to hail damage are discussed and hail risk zones delineated. The analyses indicate, inter alia, that the highest crop loss occurred in the Belfast, Bethal, Pretoria and Krugersdorp districts and that the likelihood of hail damage (i.e. the hail risk) is highest in the south, south eastern and south central parts of the Transvaal.