- Thailand’s cane and cassava fields were hit by Storm Noul last weekend.
- The storm’s heavy rains caused flooding and general disruption in many Thai provinces, but the Central and Lower Northeast regions were the worst-affected.
- It looks as though this has had a positive impact on the cane, but a negative impact on cassava.
Storm Noul Brings Thai Cane Much-Needed Rain
- Thailand has battled with drought for the last couple of seasons, and in 2019/20, it suffered its worst drought in 40 years.
- However, Storm Noul, which hit Thailand last weekend, has improved the ground’s moisture levels and topped up Thailand’s reservoirs.
- This bodes well for Thailand’s 2021/22 cane crop, as it’ll enable more farmers to irrigate their cane during the dry period expected during the first quarter of 2021.
- With this, the picture of Thai cane development looks more positive than it has done for a while.
- The rains seen in recent months have improved Thailand’s cane yields, but they remain well below previous years, where the averaged was close to 11mt per Rai (68.75mt per hectare).
- However, Thailand still needs more rain in the coming months if reservoirs are to reach more comfortable and consistent levels.
- Prior to the drought of the last two years, the average reservoir levels in November ranged somewhere between 70-80%.
- If Thailand’s reservoirs are going to achieve this fullness this time around, it’ll need a lot more rain in the monsoon season.
- That said, we could see further improvements for the 2021/22 cane crop if this is achieved.
But wait…
- There have been reports that some of Thailand’s cane has been flattened by the storm’s strong winds.
- However, we think the cane will recover in time for the crush, provided there no more winds of this strength.
Thailand’s Cassava Crop Has Been Less Fortunate
- Storm Noul has had a far more severe impact on Thailand’s cassava crop.
- Excessive rainfall has already caused flooding in some cassava fields, which could mean the roots end up rotting in the ground.
- As a result, some farmers may choose to harvest their crops earlier than they had planned to avoid losses.
- If they do, the cassava will have a lower starch content, which will reduce their profits.
- This is particularly significant in areas where cassava and cane compete with one another for area, as it may mean some cassava farmers decided to switch back to planting cane, further aiding cane’s recovery in 2021/22.
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