CHINA (1 June)
China’s winter wheat harvest, which normally starts at the end of May has been delayed due to extremely cool spring weather and insufficient sunshine. Wet and cold weather swept across most of the major wheat-producing regions during April and early May when winter wheat was in the final growing stage. Temperatures fell 5 to 9 degrees Celsius in northern China, northwestern China and northeastern China. Windy and stormy weather occurred in northeastern China. The cold and wet weather negatively affected the yield potential of winter wheat and increased the incidence of pest and plant diseases. Winter wheat output is estimated slightly lower than the previous year. Spring wheat production, which only accounts for a small proportion of aggregate output (less than 10 percent) is likely decline further this year. The overall wheat output for 2003 is forecast to be reduced by some 5.2 percent compared to the previous year.
Planting of the early rice crop, the smallest of the country’s three rice crops, has been completed and the area is estimated to have fallen by 1.2 percent. The planting of the intermediate crop is expected to be completed soon. Overall. rice area in 2003 is expected to contract by some 4 percent based on a smaller area.
The planting of maize in the major growing provinces in Northeast China has been affected by an extremely severe drought in May. Some maize area has been re-planted. The 2003/04 maize output is provisionally forecast at 119 million tonnes, 3.3 percent lower than last year, reflecting the contracted area and reduced yield.