Ecuador: Grain and Feed Annual
Ecuador’s wheat production in marketing year (MY) 2015/16 (July-June) is forecast to reach 5,000 metric tons (MT), down about 1,000 MT from the MY 2014/15 estimate. Ecuador is an insignificant producer of wheat, dependent almost entirely on foreign imports. Ecuador’s wheat imports in MY 2015/16 are forecast at 800,000 MT, up 50,000 MT or seven percent compared to the MY 2014/15 estimate of 750,000 metric tons. Corn production in MY 2015/16 is forecast at 1.27 million metric tons (MMT), up from the MY 2014/15 estimate of 1.22 million metric tons. We attribute the upward trend in production to the government requirement that animal feed manufacturers buy up local production, despite domestic prices being higher than international prices. Milled rice production in MY 2015/16 is forecast at 870,000 MT, up 98,000 MT or 13 percent compared to the MY 2014/15 estimate of 772,000 metric tons.
