February 4, 2005

Argentina's 2004 wheat exports total 9.828 million tons

Argentina exported 9.828 million metric tons of wheat in 2004, according to the latest data from the country's animal and food-health agency, Senasa.

That puts exports up 58% from 2003, when they totaled 6.217 million tons.

As measured in dollars, Argentina shipped US$1.35 billion worth of wheat in 2004, compared with US$948 million in 2003.

Wheat exports rose partly because local production was up. Argentina produced more than 16 million tons of wheat in 2004-05, according to the Agriculture Secretariat. This compares with 14.5 million a year earlier.

Exports also rose because Argentina's low-priced wheat helped it open non-traditional markets such as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Sri Lanka and South Africa, among others.

In 2004 Argentina practically doubled the number of countries that import its wheat, to at least 18 markets.

Argentina is the world's fifth-ranked wheat exporter, according to the USDA.