Persistent rains in recent weeks have delayed winter wheat sowing in major production regions in China, a government official said on Wednesday.
According to Pan Wenbo, head of the planting management department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, by October 19, China had completed 26% of winter wheat sowing across the country, which is 27% slower than normal years. The reason for this is the persistent rainfall since September.
The ministry will take "extraordinary measures" to cope with "adverse effects and severe challenges" that the rains have created for harvesting and sowing, Pan said at a press conference.
Beijing renewed its political focus on food security in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic after prices for corn, the other main grain crop in China, skyrocketed due to falling inventories and production, pushing feed consumption from wheat and grain imports to record highs drove.
"We still hope we can have a bumper crop (of wheat next year) as long as we can plant before winter and take appropriate management measures in spring," said Pan.
Sowing late would affect growth, while too much moisture in the soil would cause more disease for the crop, Pan added.
China raised the minimum purchase price for wheat in 2022 to increase grain security to increase farmers' interest in growing grain.
The rains have also delayed the harvest of fall crops, which mainly include corn, soybeans, and mid-season rice, by 4% from normal years and increased costs, Pan also said.
Heavy rains hampered the corn harvest in northern China and affected the quality of the new crop, prompting a government think tank to lower its estimates for China's corn production in 2021/22.
The rains mainly hit the Huang-Huai-Hai and northwestern China river basins with limited impact on other major producing regions, including northeast and southern China, Pan added.
Pan said overall production of autumn cereals should increase thanks to the larger acreage and the higher proportion of high-yield maize.
According to Pan Wenbo, head of the planting management department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, by October 19, China had completed 26% of winter wheat sowing across the country, which is 27% slower than normal years. The reason for this is the persistent rainfall since September.
The ministry will take "extraordinary measures" to cope with "adverse effects and severe challenges" that the rains have created for harvesting and sowing, Pan said at a press conference.
Beijing renewed its political focus on food security in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic after prices for corn, the other main grain crop in China, skyrocketed due to falling inventories and production, pushing feed consumption from wheat and grain imports to record highs drove.
"We still hope we can have a bumper crop (of wheat next year) as long as we can plant before winter and take appropriate management measures in spring," said Pan.
Sowing late would affect growth, while too much moisture in the soil would cause more disease for the crop, Pan added.
China raised the minimum purchase price for wheat in 2022 to increase grain security to increase farmers' interest in growing grain.
The rains have also delayed the harvest of fall crops, which mainly include corn, soybeans, and mid-season rice, by 4% from normal years and increased costs, Pan also said.
Heavy rains hampered the corn harvest in northern China and affected the quality of the new crop, prompting a government think tank to lower its estimates for China's corn production in 2021/22.
The rains mainly hit the Huang-Huai-Hai and northwestern China river basins with limited impact on other major producing regions, including northeast and southern China, Pan added.
Pan said overall production of autumn cereals should increase thanks to the larger acreage and the higher proportion of high-yield maize.
Source
Hansa Terminhandel GmbH
