November 20, 2008
Attaché raises estimation of Chinese corn crop production
The US agriculture attaché in China has raised the country's 2008/09 corn production estimate to 154 million tonnes, or 1.7 million tonnes higher than the National Statistical Bureau's revised estimate of 152.3 million tonnes for Marketing Year 07/08.
The attaché says in north-eastern China, crop surveys organised by the US Grains Council indicate corn production rose 7 percent from the previous year as a result of favourable weather patterns during the growth seasons in north-eastern provinces including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia.
Most of the farmers interviewed during the crop tour attributed this near-record-yield to sufficient rainfall in the summer months and favourable climate conditions during the crop's pollination stage, the attaché added.
A recent crop survey conducted by Agricultural Beijing and the US Grains Council also revealed that some of the planted area in Jilin province was impacted by excessive rainfall and wind damage in the June-August period.
