During the monitoring period, maize, sorghum and rice grown during the spring through summer period had been already been harvested, while autumn maize, sorghum and wheat were being planted. Overall, the condition of crops was average, as shown by the national NDVI development graph. 

The CropWatch agro-climatic indicators show that rainfall significantly decreased by 24% compared to average, whereas temperature and RADPAR rose respectively by 0.6°C and 1%. Consequently, the biomass production potential (BIOMSS) was below average, with a decrease of 9%. The maximum VCI at the national level was 0.88, with high values being located in Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Jalisco, and Guerrero, while low values appear in Tamaulipas, Sonora, and Chihuahua. According to the map of spatial NDVI patterns compared to the five-year average and the corresponding NDVI departure profiles, 31% of crop areas in Mexico were continuously below average, mainly situated in Sonora, Sinaloa, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Crops in favorable condition are widely distributed throughout the country: with crops above average in 25.7% of planted areas and average in 43.3% of cropland. 

Considering the cropped arable land fraction (CALF) was 8.48 percentage points over average, the crop yields of the current season are estimated to be above average.

Figure 3.20. Mexico crop condition, October 2016-January 2017

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI                      

 (b) Maximum VCI

(c) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA and the corresponding NDVI departure profiles