North Africa Wheat Harvest Slowed After By Rain
By Andrew Owen and Drew Lerner
Kansas City, May 13 (World Weather Inc.) – The main winter wheat and barley production areas in North Africa were wetter than normal during the past week. The rain induced harvest delays and may have reduced grain quality in the wettest areas. Minor harvest delays will again be possible through the end of next week due to additional rainfall, although it should not be as abundant as this past week’s rain. Precipitation totals will be too 
light to severely limit fieldwork and should not have much of an impact on the remaining crops. Harvesting will advance between rain events.
Most durum wheat and barley production areas in Morocco, northern Algeria, and northern Tunisia reported an unusual amount of rain during the past week. Moisture totals for the seven-day period ending this (Friday) morning ranged from 0.40 to 2.00 inches with local totals up to 4.17 inches in a few areas near and along the Morocco coast. There were also a few pockets in interior Morocco that were dry or mostly dry. Despite the above average rainfall, many producers were able to get into the fields around the rainfall and continue with some harvesting.
Light rain will be erratically distributed across northern Africa’s wheat and barley production region today and Saturday. After a brief period of drying Sunday and Monday, scattered showers will return on a near daily basis for the remainder of next week. Daily rain amounts will 
often be too light to counter evaporation or impact long-term soil conditions. Seasonable temperatures will evolve most days and will help promote aggressive drying between rain events.
The harvest will be slowed periodically by the occasional precipitation, but no general soaking of rain is expected and that should help get farmers back into the fields relatively quickly after each rain event passes. Wheat and barley quality will not be significantly impacted either. Most producers will have several opportunities to get into the fields between rain events. However, areas in Morocco that reported the greatest amount of rain during the past week may need a few days of drying before fieldwork resume.
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