China’s corn (maize) production in 2008-09 was forecast at 154 million tonnes, up 1.7 million tonnes from the National Statistical Bureau’s revised estimate of 152.3 million tonnes for 2007-08, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently said.

 

In October, the Chinese government announced a series of policies to support the agricultural sector, including raising floor prices for corn, rice and wheat for 2008-09, the FAS noted. Chinese grain farmers expect higher market prices than last year, though major surges in prices of agricultural inputs, labor and land will likely strip away most of the sector’s gains.

 

The average corn yield for 2008-09 in northeastern China was estimated at 5.8 tonnes/hectare, a 9% increase over 2007. Most of the farmers interviewed during the crop tour attributed this near-record-yield to sufficient rainfall in the summer months and favorable climate conditions during the crop’s pollination stages.

 

Production gains due to favorable weather in the northeast more than offset reduced production in the North China Plain.

 

A recent crop survey conducted by AgBeijing and the U.S. Grains Council revealed that some of the planted area in Jilin province was impacted by excessive rainfall and wind damage in the June-August period.