Canadian wheat harvest up 7.6 per cent over 2011
Barley up, corn hits record as ample rain yields ‘fabulous crops’
Canadian farmers harvested 7.6 per cent more wheat this year than in 2011, a government survey says, as favourable weather boosted production.
Farmers estimated they collected 27.2 million tonnes of wheat, topping the Statistics Canada forecast on Oct. 4 of 26.7 million tonnes.
It’s also up from 25.3 million tonnes last year and 23.3 million in 2010, the agency said Wednesday.
Ample rainfall bolstered production in Canada, which is expected to be the world’s biggest exporter of wheat after the U.S., says the American Agriculture Department.
“Farmers harvested fabulous wheat and barley crops this year,” John Duvenaud, publisher of Wild Oats Grain Market Advisory in Winnipeg, said in an interview before the report. “The rains came just when the plants needed the moisture.”
The agency said durum output was 4.63 million tonnes, up from 4.17 million tonnes last year and from an October forecast of 4.4 million tonnes.
Statistics Canada said winter wheat output increased to 3.73 million tonnes, up 20.5 per cent from last year. Spring wheat output was 18.8 million tonnes, up from 18 million tonnes from last year and compares with an October projection of 18.6 million tonnes, the agency said.
Barley production rose 1.5 per cent to 8.01 million tonnes from 7.89 million tonnes harvested last year, Statistics Canada said.
Canola production fell 8.9 per cent from last year to 13.3 million tonnes, a drop from the 13.4 million tonnes estimated in October, Statistics Canada said. Corn for grain output was pegged at a record 13.1 million tonnes, up from 11.4 million tonnes harvested in 2011.
Statistics Canada’s report is based on a survey of about 29,300 farmers between Oct. 26 and Nov. 14.