November 11, 2009

Chile's 2009-10 corn and wheat areas take cuts

Chile's 2009-2010 wheat crop hectares decreased eight percent from the previous season to 254,281 hectares, while its corn crop retreated 16 percent to 107,506 hectares, according to the government statistics institute's annual crop survey released Tuesday (Nov 10).

Grain crops as a whole, including oats, rice and barley, fell 15 percent from the previous season to a total 470,085 hectares, said the institute, known by its Spanish acronym of INE.

The planting area for all crops in the growing season fell 11 percent from the previous season to 596,270 hectares, according to the survey.

Industrial-use crops, such as sunflower, oilseed rape, sugarbeet and tobacco inched 0.4 percent up to 54,514 hectares, INE added. The oilseed rape crop plummeted 55 percent from the previous season to 11,250 hectares due to a sharp contraction in demand from the local salmon farming industry. Salmon farms have been grappling with the effects of a deadly virus in their fish which has drastically cut their output.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet's administration is exploring increased use of agricultural crops and wood pulp for biodiesel fuel.