Melbourne

THE record corn crop China was counting on to sustain its huge pork habit is coming up short.

Production that was supposed to reach an all-time high this season instead will drop 5.8 per cent, the most in 15 years, after a summer drought and late-season rains stunted plants and delayed harvests, according to SGS SA, a researcher hired by Bloomberg to survey farmers in the main growing regions during September and October. As recently as Oct 9, the US Department of Agriculture forecast a 4.3 per cent gain in Chinese output.