According to data released by China's Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on July 30th, around 970 thousand hectares of
crops in the Henan Province were affected by recent heavy rain and flooding,
with around 630 thousand hectares damaged, and 370 thousand hectares made
completely unharvestable. In 2020, Henan’s grain
output was 68.26 million tons, ranking second in the country, of which corn
production accounted for about 8% of the country’s total.
The crops affected by the flooding are mainly
autumn crops such as corn, peanuts and soybeans. The disaster-stricken areas
are mainly concentrated in Xinxiang, Zhoukou, Kaifeng, Anyang, Jiaozuo, Hebi, and
Zhengzho. The surrounding counties and towns of Xinxiang, Hebi, Anyang, Zhoukou
and other places also have a lot of stagnant water, which will affect the
growth of corn in those areas.
Henan farmers follow replanting plan to recover
from losses
The main factors negatively affecting the
growth of autumn crops are deep water, low temperature, and frequent occurrence
of pests and diseases after the disaster. In particular, corn and peanuts do
not grow well in cold temperatures.
Furthermore, much corn has passed the seedling
stage, and the many regions in northern Henan remain waterlogged. Once the crop
rhizomes are soaked and necrotic, they will be completely unharvestable. Even if
these crops survive, they will still face corn stem rot and bacterial wilt, as
well as other diseases.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
of Henan Province stated on July 26 that all localities should promptly replant
unharvestable farmland and strive to make up for the losses as much as
possible. On the unharvestable land, authorities recommended planting autumn
crops with short growth periods and high economic value, such as silage corn,
soybeans, and mini potatoes, as well as fast-growing vegetables such as
cabbage, spinach, coriander, amaranth, and bamboo leaf vegetables.
Authorities predict that disaster will have
limited impact on domestic grain prices
Pan Wenbo, director of the Planting Management
Department of China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs gave a
statement regarding whether the heavy rain and floods in Henan will affect
domestic food supply and prices. Pan pointed out that despite flooding, more than
4 million hectares of unaffected farmland remains in Henan and is growing
better than usual. Pan stated that it is expected that the high crop yields in
the disaster-free areas will make up for some of the losses in the disaster
areas. Pan concluded that the impact of the heavy rains and floods in Henan on
the grain market will be partial and short-term, and the overall impact on
China's grain production and supply will be relatively limited.
According to data from China's Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the national average purchase price for corn was
about 2.6 yuan per kilogram on July 26, which indicates that the price is
remaining stable. Ke Tang, an authority from the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Affairs, pointed out that although the operation of China's grain market
is affected by market expectations, capital speculation and other factors, it
mainly depends on the fundamentals of supply and demand. Tang stated that this
year, China's summer grains have already been harvested, and autumn grains will
grow sufficiently with replanting measures. In addition, the total grain
inventory is sufficient, and the foundation for food supply and price stability
is solid. Tang predicted that grain prices are expected to continue to be
stable in the future.
For more information, please check our Crop
Farming China E-News.