March 21, 2007

 

Mexico government forecasts 4.84 million tonnes white corn crop in four states

 

 

Mexico's agriculture ministry said Tuesday that the 2006/07 autumn-winter crop in four northern states is expected to yield 4.84 million tonnes of white corn.

 

Harvesting for the autumn-winter crop has begun in the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, Baja California and Tamaulipas, the ministry said in a press release.

 

Mexico's production of white corn, used to make tortillas, has become a focus of attention this year after the rise in international corn prices pushed tortilla prices up.

 

Tortillas are a staple of the Mexican diet and higher prices triggered widespread protests and prompted the government to take a series of measures, including an agreement with the industry to cap tortilla and corn flour prices until the end of April, and the granting of emergency duty-free corn import quotas.

 

In addition to white corn production, the four states are expected to produce 480,000 tonnes of yellow corn, 2.22 million tonnes of sorghum, 1.75 million tonnes of crystalline wheat and 326,000 tonnes of bread wheat, the ministry said.

 

Sinaloa, Mexico's main corn producing state, produced 4.12 million tonnes of white corn in the autumn-winter cycle of 2005/06.

 

Advantageous weather conditions and higher corn prices have prompted additional planting in the current cycle, a corn growers representative in the state said recently.

 

Last month, President Felipe Calderon said his government would seek to increase annual corn production to 30 million tonnes from the current 21 million tonnes.

 

The long-term plan includes increasing the acreage planted with yellow corn used by the livestock industry, and doubling average corn yields to five tonnes/hectare (two tonnes/acre) with investment in technology and machinery, improved irrigation systems and better seeds.

 

Some Sinaloa growers already obtain 10 tonnes/hectare, although many of the country's subsistence farmers produce less than one tonne/hectare.