Highlights

Corn yields down due to early drought    Soy output reduced despite record planting   Sunseed production up

March 3, 2008

  

Argentina starts corn harvest

 

 

This week, farmers completed planting the 4 million hectares seen going to corn this season and started the harvest of the early corn, the Agriculture Secretariat said in its weekly crop report Friday (February 29, 2008).

 

In the Marcos Juarez district of Cordoba Province, in the heart of the traditional corn area, yields have averaged 6.5 to 8 tonnes per hectare, below average due to early drought.

 

The secretariat forecasts output at 19 million to 21 million tonnes.

 

To date, farmers have harvested 5.4 percent of the crop. However, according to the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange, nationwide corn yields average 4.9 tonnes per hectare, down 36 percent from this point last year due to early drought, the exchange said.

 

However, rainfall keeps supporting development of the late corn and the gap in yields compared with last season will gradually decrease as the late corn is harvested, the exchange said.

 

Argentina had sold 4.5 million tonnes of 2007-08 corn as of Feb. 28, up from 4 million a week ago.

 

As of Feb. 29, Argentina had also sold 14.71 million tonnes of 2006-07 corn for export, up from 14.35 million tonnes a week ago.

 

Spain, Chile, Egypt and Malaysia were the top buyers for Argentinean corn, each purchasing at least 1 million tonnes.

 

 

Soy
 

Rainfall over the past two weeks has allowed much of the soy crop to recover from earlier drought, and the late soy is in good condition, according to the secretariat.

 

However, average yields are expected to be lower than the excellent output achieved last season due to the dry weather that affected the early soy, the secretariat said.

 

Farmers planted a record 16.6 million hectares with soy this season.

 

Production is estimated at 45 million to 48 million tonnes, according to the secretariat.

 

The Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange said in its weekly crop report Friday (February 29, 2008) soy output is expected to be down 3 percent from last season because of earlier dry weather blamed on the La Nina weather phenomenon.

 

Rains this week again boosted potential yields, although the crop will require more treatment for diseases later in the season, the Exchange said.

 

 

Sunseed
 

Farmers have harvested 24 percent of the 2007-08 sunseed crop, eight percentage points behind the harvest pace at this point last year. Production is estimated at 4.5 million tonnes, according to the secretariat.

 

Farmers had harvested 25 percent of the 2007-08 sunseed crop as of Feb. 29, with yields averaging 1.92 tonnes per hectare, the Exchange said.

 

Yields have been significantly higher than at this point last year, when drought challenged the crop.

 

Argentina is expected to produce 4.2 million tonnes of sunflower seeds from the 2007-08 crop, a 20 percent-22 percent increase from last season, according to the Exchange.