China Agriculture View

Last week a cold front brought heavy snowfalls across northern and central Chinese provinces.The heave snow affected the traffic and people’s lives.At the same time, it is benefit for crops.

Heavy snow in China’s wheat belt in the north is conducive for the winter crop, particularly to help ease dry weather earlier, but it has delayed corn transport out of the areas, worsening already tight supplies in the south.

As much as 55 cm of snow fell this week in China’s provinces of Henan, the country’s largest wheat area, as well as in Hebei and Shandong, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Experts said the snow was beneficial to the wheat crop in China, the world’s largest wheat producer and consumer.

“The snowfall is more conducive for wheat, it brings moisture to the soil. Earlier, some wheat areas have had dry weather,” Zhao Guangcai, a researcher with Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told Reuters.

But he said some young wheat leaves suffered minor freeze damage.

Another researcher with the Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences said the snow helped kill insects and save water for farmers.

Feed mills in China’s consuming south, however, could face tigher corn supplies because the snow in the north has prevented farmers from selling their new harvest and delayed rail transport.

“Corn supplies are quite tight these days; there are some delays in transport,” said one official with the New Hope Group in the southwest province of Sichuan. The company was also looking for more imports from neighbouring countries [ID:nPEK205454].

The China National Grain and Oils Information Center said the bad weather also could reduce supplies for markets in Guangdong. Tight supplies have driven up China’s physical corn prices <0#ASCORN-CN> even at harvest time.