Abundant crops in Romania and Hungary, according to FAO
According to the last biennial report given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world cereal production is expected to set a new record this year.
Articol de Elena Postelnicu, Corespondent RRA în Italia, 04 Noiembrie 2011, 10:07
The global cereal production will increase by 3.7 percent, reaching 2.325 billion tons.
The world wheat production will grow by 6 percent, amounting to 691 million tons.
The FAO report also mentions that this summer’s "favourable meteorological conditions have led to unexpectedly good crops in Eastern European EU countries, particularly in Hungary and Romania, which compensated for crop deficits caused by draughts in other parts of the world".
Russia’s wheat exports will reach at least 18.5 million tons, thus nearing the 2008/2009 record, due to an annual increase in production by 37 percent.
Wheat exports in Hungary have trebled up to 9 million tons and those in Kazakhstan are expected to grow by 30 percent, reaching 7.2 million tons.
As to other cereals, FAO is counting on a 2.6 percent increase in production, up to a new record of 1.151 billion tons.
Meanwhile, this year’s world rice production is expected to grow by 3.4 percent, up to 482.4 million tons, according to FAO estimations.
If these estimations prove to be correct, this year’s rice production will be more than sufficient to cover the amount needed for consumption and to increase the world’s rice reserve for the eighth consecutive year.
The world’s food price index has reached its lowest level in the last 11 months this year in October, due to significant price drops for cereal, sugar and oleaginous plants.
The FAO index, which measures the monthly change in the price of a basket of food commodities consisting of cereal, oleaginous plants, dairy products, meat and sugar, registered a value of approximately 216 points, having dropped four points since September.
Translated by: Roxana-Andreea Dragu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University
