BRAZIL (30 May)
Weather conditions are favouring planting of the 2003 wheat crop in the large producing states in the south. Enlarged plantings and the use of better quality seeds are anticipated. In line with the government wheat production expansion programme, harvesting is due to start from August, and early official forecasts indicate that a record 4.1 million tonnes should be produced, far above the past five-year average of 2.5 million tonnes. The anticipated increase will help reduce the country reliance on wheat imports which, on the average, are estimated at about 7 million tonnes per year. Harvesting of the 2003 second season maize crop or “zafrihna” is underway and a bumper crop of some 9 million tonnes of maize is expected. Maize output for 2003 (first and second season crops) should be a record 42.8 million tonnes, the result of enlarged plantings with respect to the average and, principally, the higher than normal yields so far obtained. Harvesting of the 2003 paddy crop has been recently completed and 11.1 million tonnes have been collected, which compares to the past five-year average of 10.5 million tonnes and to the volume of 10.7 million tonnes harvested in 2002.