Record harvest of corn expected – Yields might exceed 7 million tons

The yields of corn in Serbia this year might exceed 7 million tons, which is close to the record of 8 million tons realized in 2016, but on larger surfaces, said the director of the Serbian Grains, Vukosav Sakovic.

He told Beta that, this year, with around 900,000 hectares under corn, fewer than last year's 970,000 hectares, larger yields would make up for smaller areas.

Corn was sown on over a million hectares in 2016, and the yields amounted to 5 to 16 tons per hectare.

Sakovic said that the yield estimates would be more precise once the harvesting starts, as there were occasional problems at the moment due to the appearance of Candidatus Phytoplasma solani in the fields in Srem, due to failure to adhere to the principle of crop rotation and the pollution of fields with weed.

– This sort of disease appears in years with lots of rain and reduces the yield, but it is not widespread at the moment – Sakovic said.

The export of corn, if expected yields of over 7 million tons are realized, according to him, might amount to around 2.5 million tons.

Sakovic said that there would be no problems finding purchasers in 2018, as northern Europe had been struck by drought, which will increase the demand.

– When it comes to the export of corn, logistics, rather than the lack of markets, is the problem, as the low water levels on the Danube occasionally make the transport difficult – Sakovic said.

He added that the price of corn was RSD 16 per kilogram and that a slight growth should be expected.

Professor Miladin Sevarlic of the Faculty of Agriculture told Beta that yields could amount to 12 tons per hectare in the fields where there has been no hail damage or other damage incurred due to adverse weather and where the cultivation process has been carried out properly.

– The yields also depend on further precipitation as it will still take a lot of it for the corn to ripen and will require dry weather when the harvest starts – Sevarlic said.

He points out that the yield of corn for silage will be especially bountiful in 2018, as it has already grown up to 4.5 meters in certain fields. The record height in Serbia is 5 meters, and the global record is 6 meters.

Farmer Srdjan Pesic of Dolovo, who cultivates corn on around 70 hectares said that he hoped for good yields of around 8 to 9 tons per hectare.

– I expect a solid yield given there's no drought until the harvest, and it would be even better had it not been for the spring drought – Pesic said.

Žita Srbije Beograd

Vukosav Sakovic

Miladin Sevarlic

Srdjan Pesic

yields of corn in Serbia

corn

corn harvest

export of corn from Serbia

price of corn

silage

yields of corn for silage

corn disease in Srem