Mumbai, 31 May (Commoditiescontrol):Unexpected heavy rainfall in China's central Henan province just before the impending harvest season is causing a surge in wheat prices and sparking concerns over crop quality, as reported by Reuters.About a quarter of China’s wheat crop comes from Henan. The province’s southern area is its major production hub, and some areas have experienced long hours of intense rainfall.
The untimely downpour has resulted in wheat sprouting prematurely or succumbing to blight, evidence of which can be seen in videos surfacing on social media and confirmed by a local grain merchant. This worrying development has the potential to affect the yield and overall quality of the harvest adversely.
China, a major global wheat producer, was earlier projected to have a comparable harvest to the previous year's. This expectation, coupled with a recent upswing in imports, had driven prices to a one-year low, piquing animal feed manufacturers' interest.
However, the landscape has drastically changed. Social media is now filled with images of waterlogged fields and darkened wheat kernels, indicative of the onset of blight, Reuters reported. In addition, wheat affected by Fusarium head blight is unfit for animal consumption, which further compounds the potential implications of the situation on the feed industry.
Alarmingly, according to China's Meteorological Administration, more rainfall is predicted for the western regions of Henan province this weekend. If realized, this could exacerbate the current predicament, with potentially severe consequences for the wheat harvest, local farmers, and global wheat markets.
(By Commoditiescontrol Bureau; +91-9820130172)