October 9, 2007

China's grain crop escapes damage from Typhoon Krosa 

Saying that the damage done to the rice and corn crop by the recent typhoon Krosa was minor, China's National Grain and Oils Information Center (CNGOIC) retained its previous estimate predicting a slight increase in this year's crop over that from last year. 

CNGOIC left the 2007 corn crop estimate unchanged from its forecast made last month -- 149 million tonnes, up 2.4 percent from last year due to higher acreage.

Last week, Typhoon Krosa made landfall near the borders of Zhejiang and Fujian in the southern China, forcing the evacuation of 1.4 million people. Over in Taiwan, crop damages are said to have caused US$81 million in damages to the agricultural industry, mostly to the fruit crop.

As the crops have already matured, the rains would only add moisture to the grains but would not do significant damage, the CNGOIC said. 

The CNGNOIC said the coastal areas, frequently hit by storms, are not the country's major grain areas.

The center kept its soybean output estimate unchanged at 14.4 million tonnes, down 9.8 percent from last year. Drought and a lower acreage led to the drop.