Corn yield has doubled in 5 years

The National Corporation of corn farmers expects that 2016 harvest reaches 1.3 million tonnes, a similar figure to that of 2015. This production comes from about 230 000 hectares destined for this crop in the country.

The cornfields are concentrated in Los Rios, Guayas, Manabi and Loja, in that order. Pena says that Los Rios has 140 000 hectares, with the Ventanas and Mocache counties in the lead. In Ventanas, in the northwest of the province, the 2015 production was so prodigious that silos still store 12 000 tonnes.

Farmers agree with the official price of a 45.36 kilos bag, the Corn Advisory Council set at USD 14.90 for 2016. According to Armando Sevilla, owner of a plot of 2 hectares in Mocache, a price too high would eventually lead to speculation with the price of land rent, which represent 20% of the cost of production.

The corn quota is required in full by the domestic industry mainly by the feed sector. In Ecuador, corn yields doubled in five years, from 2.95 tons per hectare in 2010 to surpass 5.20 tons per hectare in 2015. (I)

Source: http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ecuador-rendimiento-maiz-economia-magap.html