Thanks to favorable weather conditions, the Mexican Department of Agriculture (SAGARPA) has forecast 16% growth for grain crops like corn, beans, sorghum and wheat in 2012, reaching over 34 million tons (MT) over the agricultural year.

Photo: SAGAPRA

Production for the 2011-12 fall and winter cycle came in at 13 million MT of grains, while the 2012 spring and summer cycle is estimated to reach 21.8 million MT.

For beans, SAGARPA estimates 970,000 MT of output or 70.9% growth on the previous year.

Corn will experience a lower, yet still significant growth rate of 21.8%, coming in at an estimated 21.8 million MT.

Domestic human consumption of white corn reaches about 11.9 million MT a year. When compared to output, this number indicates that production will meet the year's demand.

The main producing states for Spring and Summer are Jalisco, Chiapas, México, Puebla and Oaxaca, which make up 46.2% of total farmed space. 89% of all grain farmland is found in temporal zones where favorable weather conditions have boosted planting by 3.4% this year.

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