South Africa is bringing in record summer crops (maize lifted to 17.5 million tonnes, soybeans to 3 million) yet its wheat harvest has fallen to 1.8 million tonnes, the smallest in eight years. Wandile Sihlobo tells Gabriel Makin that part of the reason is that farmers planted just after the US-Iran war began, which pushed up fertiliser and fuel costs (these make up about half of their input costs). Wandile also points out that the Western Cape grows two-thirds of the crop, but it had a dry winter, contributing to the poorer harvest. Wandile then explains how deregulation reshaped wheat farming since the late 1990s, why half of every loaf of bread in South Africa is now made from imported wheat, why imports could reach 2 million tonnes in 2026-27, and why a world awash with wheat means no crisis for consumers. Plus, what is in South Africa's roughly $7 billion food import bill, whisky included.