September 30, 2008

Mexico water body sees good rainfall for 2008-09 grains crops

Rainfall in most of Mexico's key agriculture areas have been above average in the last few months and allows for a healthy panting season for the next cycle, Mexican water authority Conagua said Monday.

Conagua said in a report there has been "sufficient rainfall to ensure planting of all crops" in the 2008-09 agriculture year, which starts with planting of the 2008-09 fall-winter harvest between November and December.

The report said of Mexico's 117 most important dams, 58 were currently registered with water levels at 100 percent and another 54 dams were filled to 80 percent capacity.

Mexico's 2008 agriculture year includes the 2007-08 fall-winter crop harvested from May to August, and the 2008 spring-summer crop, which is harvested between October and December.

The report comes a month before harvesting of Mexico's key white corn crop in the central Bajio region starts in the second half of October. Bajio produces the second largest commercial crop after northern Sinaloa state.

Traders and importers have pegged the Bajio crop to reach a healthy 3 million tonnes, while Sinaloa recently completed the 2007-08 fall-winter harvest, which was forecast to reach close to 5 million tonnes.