The Canadian Wheat Board said on Monday the country's 2007 wheat output was likely to slump by 20 percent to 20 million tonnes, while its barley output would jump by 30 percent to 12 million tonnes.
Greg Arason, president of the Canadian Wheat Board, also told reporters on the sidelines of a conference that tight world supplies would provide China with an opportunity for exports of wheat.
Last month, Bruce Burnett, head of weather and crop surveillance for the Canadian Wheat bard, said the country's wheat output was likely to range from 22 million to 22.5 million tonnes, depending on weather conditions, which were too wet in many areas.
The projection came after Canadian farmers planted their smallest wheat crop in 37 years this spring, making a more severe cut than traders had expected and helping to push wheat futures to highs not seen for more than 10 years. Arason's projection for barley output was higher than an estimate of 10.863 million tonnes by Statistics Canada. Traders have expected excess moisture would push more farmers to plant barley.