Indonesia Maize Struggles

Avatar for Matt Hopkins By Scott C. Lucas|19 May 2006

Maize in Indonesia is down following a long rainy season and low fertilizer supply. This led to crop damage in many areas and reduced quality, difficult drying, and lower output.

According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS), the 2005/06 crop will be down to 6.9 million metric tons, compared to earlier production estimates of 7.5 million tons.

Production is expected to rebound to 7.2 million tons in 2006/07 due to slight area expansion, increased use of hybrid seeds, and steady demand from the feed industry.