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PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS FOR 1998/99
April 1999

WHEAT

  ------ 1998/99 -------  
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MMT MMT (%) (%)  
World 587.1 +0.5 +0 -4 Production is estimated higher due to an increase in the total-foreign category.
United States 69.4 NC NC +3 Production is unchanged this month.
Total Foreign 517.7 +0.5 +0 -5 Production is estimated higher as an increase in Iran more than offsets a decrease in Kazakstan.
Iran 12.0 +1.0 +9 +20 Production is estimated higher due to a report from the ministry of agriculture increasing output.
Kazakstan 4.7 -0.3 -6 -47 Production is estimated lower as harvested area is reduced. This season, drought covered much of the wheat growing regions.

 

COARSE GRAINS

  ------ 1998/99 -------  
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MMT MMT (%) (%)  
World 878.1 -0.5 -0 -0 Production is estimated lower due to a decrease in the total-foreign category.
United States 271.6 NC NC +4 Production is unchanged this month.
Total Foreign 606.6 -0.5 -0 -2 Production is estimated lower as decreases in South Africa, Colombia, and Ecuador more than offset increases in Argentina, Brazil, and Ukraine.
South Africa 6.4 -1.1 -14 -20 Production is estimated lower mainly due to a decrease in corn yield. Dry weather combined with above-normal temperatures in March reduced soil moisture and stressed the crop.
Colombia 1.1 -0.2 -17 +7 Production is estimated lower as excessive rain and floods resulted in decreases in corn area and yield.


COARSE GRAINS, continued

  ------ 1998/99 -------  
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MMT MMT (%) (%)  
Ecuador 0.3 -0.2 -33 -39 Production is estimated lower due to decreases in corn area caused by unfavorable weather related to the La Niņa phenomenon.
Argentina 18.9 +0.4 +2 -24 Production is estimated higher due to favorable weather that increased sorghum yield.
Brazil 33.6 +0.3 +1 +5 Production is estimated higher due to upward revisions in sorghum and barley area and yield.
Ukraine 10.5 +0.3 +3 -32 Production is estimated higher due to official statistics increasing corn yield.

RICE (MILLED BASIS)

 

------ 1998/99 -------

 
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MMT MMT (%) (%)  
World 378.4 +0.4 +0 -2 Production is estimated higher due to an increase in the total-foreign category.
United States 6.1 NC NC +3 Production is unchanged this month.
Total Foreign 372.3 +0.4 +0 -2 Production is estimated higher due to increases in Brazil and Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka 1.8 +0.2 +11 +1 Production is estimated higher based on increased area. This year's maha crop (currently being harvested) would have been larger were it not for heavy rains which caused extensive damage to the ripening grain.
Brazil 7.6 +0.2 +2 +31 Production is estimated higher due to excellent weather in the North/Northeast rice growing areas. Yield is estimated at a record level.

OILSEEDS

  ------ 1998/99 -------  
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MMT MMT (%) (%)  
World 293.2 -1.0 -0 +2 Production is estimated lower due to a decrease in the total-foreign category, offsetting a slight increase in the United States.
United States 84.6 +0.0 +0 +2 Production is estimated slightly higher this month due to a small increase in peanuts.
Total Foreign 208.6 -1.0 -0 +3 Production is estimated lower as decreases in Argentina, China, Hungary and Pakistan more than offset increases in Paraguay and Romania.
Argentina 26.5 -0.5 -2 +3 Production is estimated down because scattered dryness followed by excessive recent rains, especially in central Cordoba Province, adversely impacted soybeans.
China 42.7 -0.3 -1 -2 Production is estimated lower due to a downward revision in sunflowerseed yield.
Hungary 0.8 -0.1 -15 +18 Production is estimated down because of reduced harvested-area estimates for sunflowerseed and rapeseed.
Pakistan 3.4 -0.1 -3 -8 Production is estimated lower due to reduced cottonseed yield, offsetting higher sunflowerseed output.
Paraguay 3.5 +0.2 +7 +10 Production is estimated higher for soybeans and sunflowerseed based on favorable weather.
Romania 1.3 +0.1 +9 +30 Production is estimated up based on a higher sunflowerseed estimate by the National Statistics Board.

PALM OIL

  ------ 1998/99 -------  
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MMT MMT (%) (%)  
World 17.9 +0.0 +0 +5 Production is nearly unchanged this month.

COTTON

  ------ 1998/99 -------  
Country Current Estimate Monthly Change Monthly Change Change from 1997/98 Comments
  MBALES MBALES (%) (%)  
World Total 84.7 -0.6 -1 -8 Production is estimated down due to lower production in the total-foreign category, offsetting higher production in the United States.
United States 13.9 +0.1 +1 -26 Production is estimated up due to higher ginning results, indicating a yield increase.
Total Foreign 70.8 -0.7 -1 -3 Production is estimated lower due to decreases in Pakistan, Australia, and India.
Pakistan 6.5 -0.4 -6 -9 Production is estimated lower based on reduced cotton arrivals at gins, resulting in lower-than-expected production.
Australia 3.2 -0.2 -6 +4 Production is estimated down due both to lower area and to lower yield resulting from insect infestation and recent heavy rains in the major cotton growing areas of northeastern New South Wales.
India 12.9 -0.1 -1 +5 Production is estimated down due to reduced market arrivals from the northern states, showing lower than expected production from this region.
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