· OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MAIZE MILLING INDUSTRY Maize is the most important grain crop in South Africa, being both the major feed grain and the staple food for the majority of the population (FPMC, 2003). About 60 per cent of the maize produced here is white, used primarily for human diets, and the rest is yellow, used mostly for animal feed. 3 The milling industry has long .