January 10, 2006

Argentina's 2005/06 wheat harvest 82 percent collected

Argentine farmers had collected 82 percent of the 2005/06 wheat harvest by Thursday, the Agriculture Secretariat reported late Friday.

That puts the pace of collection up from 71 percent a week earlier but down from 93 percent a year ago.

So far farmers have harvested 3,974,300 hectares, the Secretariat said. Some 215,970 hectares have been lost due to bad weather or disease.

Planted area totals 5.035 million hectares, down from 6.262 million hectares a year ago. Farmers planted less wheat this season because of dry weather and low wheat prices.

Farmers in Cordoba Province have finished planting the crop. The average yield in that province totalled 2.3 tonnes/hectare. About 14 percent of the national wheat crop is planted in Cordoba.

The Secretariat did not provide an estimate for the average national yield last week.

According to the most recent forecast from the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange, the average yield last week was 2.38 tonnes/hectare. Farmers will produce 11.6 million tonnes of wheat in 2005/06. That would put production down from a record 16.345 million tonnes, according to the Exchange.

Collectable area totals 4.849 million hectares, down from 6.09 million hectares a year ago, according to the Exchange.

Argentines plant wheat May through August and harvest it October through January.