Expanding drought may affect China's corn, soy output

The rapid development of drought in China's main soy-producing areas in the northeast could have a negative impact on the crop there, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

Major crops such as corn and soy are in a crucial growth period in those areas, and output could be affected, the office said in a statement published on its Web site Tuesday (August 11).

As of Tuesday, 4.37 million hectares of crops in the four provinces in the north and northeast were experiencing drought, more than three times the drought-hit area as of July 31, and accounting for 53 percent of the area hit by drought nationwide, the office said.

On Wednesday, China National Grain and Oils Information Centre, a state-supported think-tank, increased its estimate of corn output this year by 3.5 million tonnes to 166.5 million tonnes due to higher acreage, despite earlier floods and bad weather in the major northeastern producing areas.

The centre kept its soy output estimate unchanged at 15 million tonnes.