Grain storge is a vital, yet often overlooked, part of the food and feed supply chain.
Tropical climates that allow for year-round farming would seem to be a
tremendous economic advantage, but for corn and soybean farmers in the
Brazilian state of Mato Grosso it also poses a problem - an abundance of
grain followed by about a 10 percent post harvest loss, partially due to a
lack of storage.
"There is a 34 percent undercapacity of soybean storage, and the
situation is aggravated by the rapidly increasing production of
second-crop maize," said University of Illinois agricultural economist
Peter Goldsmith.
"The worst situation occurs in northern Mato Grosso
with a simulation of a full-maize second crop. The potential to
succession crop is great and current levels of storage are low. There is
clear evidence of a shortage of storage, particularly private and
cooperative, as grain production rises in the state," he said.
Goldsmith conducted the research project, which was the first to
employ Geographic Information System (GIS) software to map the
coordinates of commercial, cooperative and private grain storage
facilities in Mato Grosso.
The Russian grain crop is expected to fallen below government targets after drought hit growth in some regions, reports Bloomberg.
The harvest may reach 90 million to 94 million metric tons
in the 2013-14 season which is just below the
Agriculture Ministry’s 95 million-ton target.
The Indian government is planning to expand its grain subsidy programme in a bid to tackle the country's hunger problem. Sixty-seven percent of India's population, or 800 million people, will have
the right to buy up to 5 kilos of rice, wheat and other cereals from the
state each month, or receive cash compensation.
Is this the way to end hunger in the world's second-most populous country? Andy Mukherjee, Reuters, gives his opinion.
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| These are soybean harvest operations near Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Credit: Peter Goldsmith |
