Bad weather weakens Canada's wheat production

Weather conditions in the Prairies of Canada have remained hostile for an extended period seriously impairing wheat and rapeseed planting across the Prairies.

Wet weather has continued to cause serious impediment to seeding and further threatening wheat.

Speaking from Winnipeg, Mr Harry Siemens, popular radio commentator on farm issues said that as much as 10 million acres (about four million hectares) may have gone unseeded so far especially in Saskatchewan province.

Growers are rather concerned about the weather havoc they have not faced in decades. ''My brother-in-law planned to seed 1,500 acres of pulses, but could manage only 400 acres,'' Mr Siemens rued.

The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) in its preliminary crop forecast on Friday (June 11) said, ''Exceptional spring rainfall will severely impact this year's wheat, durum and barley production, leaving more than eight million acres unseeded.'' The CWB believes in most cases these acres have been lost for this season and will not see any crop.

There is no further scope for planting at this stage and normally by early June, seeding is completed, according to Mr Siemens. Saskatchewan province is the worst hit, he pointed out adding that as crop development is falling behind normal schedule, the risk of frost damage later in season (nearer harvest time) is real.

On May 20, the London-based International Grains Council projected 2010-11 world wheat output at 660 million tonnes, a modest 1% or six million tonnes surplus over projected consumption of 654 million tonnes for the year.