April 25, 2008

 

Mexico's corn crop to be up 1.5 million tonnes

 

 

Mexico's 2008 corn crop is expected to rise 6.4 percent to 25 million tonnes, the Agriculture Ministry said Thursday (April 24, 2008).

 

Releasing the lastest figures for the new crop cycle, the ministry said this compares to total corn production in 2007 of 23.5 million tonnes.

 

The ministry also said that Mexico's total food crop in 2008 is expected to reach a record 195 million tonnes, including 10.3 million liters of milk and 5.4 million tonnes of meat.

 

The figures were released ahead of a visit by Agriculture Minister Alberto Cardenas to Tultitlan, the site of Mexico's main food and grains market north of Mexico City.

 

Meanwhile, Mexico's 2007-08 Fall-Winter corn harvest in the key grain state of northern Sinaloa is seen on track to produce a record 5 million tonnes, agriculture minister Alberto Cardenas said.

 

Cardenas, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Tultitlan, home to one of the biggest markets for grains and agricultural products north of Mexico City, said the Sinoloa harvest is on schedule to start in the next few weeks.

 

Cardenas also said Mexico's main 2007-08 wheat harvest, primarily from the northern state of Sonora, was seen rising to 2 million tonnes, while the sorghum harvest in Tamaulipas state is expected to reach 1.5 million tonnes.

 

Recent unseasonable rains in several key producing states could potentially lead to lower production, but so far the ministry has seen no reason to lower its forecasts for the upcoming harvest, the minister said.

 

No immediate comparative figures were available, but industry sources and traders say the harvest is showing significant recovery from the previous cycle.

 

The ministry also said that production of wheat, sorghum and corn under pre-sold contracts with the government, is expected to reach 11.5 million tonnes this year.