January 2, 2006

 

Argentina's 2005/06 soybean crop 89 percent planted

 

 

Argentina's farmers had planted 89 percent of the 2005/06 soybean crop by Thursday, the Agriculture Secretariat reported.

 

That puts the planting pace up from 83 percent a week ago, but down from 93 percent a year earlier.

 

Weather conditions varied substantially in several of the key soybean-producing provinces last week, the Secretariat said.

 

Area is up about 780,000 hectares from last season, demonstrating that farmers are planting the 2005/06 crop quickly even though the pace is technically down from the previous year.

 

The Secretariat has forecast area at a record 15.182 million hectares. As of Thursday, farmers had sown 13,547,260 hectares of soybeans.

 

The Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange has estimated planted area at 15.6 million hectares, up from 14.67 million hectares a year earlier.

 

The USDA has forecast Argentina's 2005/06 soybean output at a record 40.5 million tonnes, up from the previous record of 39 million tonnes a year ago.

 

 

Corn

 

Argentina's corn farmers had sown 91 percent of the 2005/06 crop by Thursday, raising the planting pace from 87 percent a week ago.

 

The pace is down from 94 percent a year earlier because dry weather this season has impeded work. The annual pace is slower now even though area is down 8.7 percent from a year earlier.

 

In Buenos Aires the crop is passing through the flowering stage.

 

However, "a lack of rain is seriously affecting (the crop's) development," the Secretariat said.

 

Rain is needed in this area, as well as in Cordoba and parts of La Pampa and Santa Fe.

 

The Secretariat sees area at 3.067 million hectares, down from 3.348 million hectares a year earlier.

 

As of Thursday, farmers had planted 2,785,976 hectares.

 

The USDA has forecast Argentina's 2005/06 corn production at 17.3 million tonnes, down from 19.5 million tonnes in 2004/05.

 

The Exchange has estimated planted area this season at 2.23 million hectares, compared with 2.63 million hectares a year earlier.

 

The Exchange's estimate does not include corn grown strictly for use as animal feed.