January 8, 2007

 

Argentina harvests 13.5 million tonnes of wheat so far

 

 

Argentina's farmers have harvested 13.52 million tonnes of wheat from the 2006/07 crop, the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange said in its weekly crop report Friday (Jan 5). With 98.1 percent of the 2006/07 wheat harvest complete, 13.8 million tonnes are expected to come from the Pampas agricultural region this season, according to the Exchange.

 

The Agriculture Secretariat forecasts 2006/07 wheat production at 13.7 million tonnes.

 

The USDA is expecting 14.2 million tonnes of wheat from the 2006/07 crop.

 

 

Corn

 

As of Friday, 94.5 percent of the 2.7 million hectares forecast for corn had been planted, slightly ahead of the planting pace on the same date last year, according to the Exchange.

 

According to the Agriculture Secretariat, Argentina will plant an estimated 3.45 million hectares of corn during the 2006/07 crop cycle, up from 3.18 million in 2005/06

 

The Secretariat's forecast includes corn destined for animal feed, which the Exchange doesn't include in its estimate.

 

The USDA sees Argentina's 2006/07 corn production at 19 million tonnes.

 

 

Soy

 

As of Friday, farmers had planted 95.5 percent of the forecast 16.1 million hectares, up 7.4 points from last week, according to the Exchange.

 

Farmers are moving ahead quickly with planting due to favourable soil moisture conditions, the Exchange said.

 

The Agriculture Secretariat forecasts a record 16 million hectares will be planted with soy in 2006/07.

 

The USDA sees Argentine farmers producing 42 million tonnes of soy in 2006/07.