COVID-19 lockdowns could delay Chinese corn

Corn planting in one of China’s major producing areas could be delayed as many of the region’s millions of farmers struggle to return home from temporary city jobs because of strict coronavirus lockdowns.

Why it matters: Lower yields for Chinese crops would mean more demand for those crops from exporting countries like Canada.

Any delay to planting could affect output in the world’s second largest corn producer, where corn prices are already hovering at record levels and government support for soybeans also threatens to reduce growing of the grain.

China’s northeastern provinces have endured nearly two months of restrictions on movement, with the toughest measures in Jilin province where COVID-19 cases soared in early March.

As the critical time for sowing grain approaches, some farmers remain stuck and are getting increasingly worried, despite recent government pledges to tackle the issue.

“I need to tend my land immediately, but I can’t go back. I am so anxious,” a farmer surnamed Wang told Reuters from Changchun, the capital of Jilin.

The problem highlights the challenge for China in balancing its strict zero-COVID policy with its high priority on food security.

Fertilizer supplies to the region have also been disrupted by the transport curbs and farmers are facing record prices of the crop nutrient as well as diesel and other costs.

As thousands of farmers took to social media to vent their frustrations, the Jilin government stepped in to organize special transport.

Small-scale farmers in China typically take manual jobs in cities over the winter when farming activity stops. Nearly 100,000 stranded farmers had returned home by April 10, according to local authorities.

Planting is “slightly delayed, but the impact will not be big,” said the state-backed Farmers Daily April 18. It is not clear how many farmers were still stuck in cities in Jilin or further afield due to the virus measures.

“I have requested permission to go home but the community has not yet approved it. I don’t know the reason,” said another farmer surnamed Lu, also stuck in Changchun.