March 17, 2005

 

Argentina's 04-05 soy output seen at 37.5 million tonnes

 

 

Argentine farmers will produce 37.5 million tonnes of 2004-05 soybeans, the Agriculture Secretariat forecast Wednesday.

 

That would put production up from 31.5 million a year ago and up from 34.8 million in 2002-03, according to Secretariat data.

 

The Secretariat kept its estimate for planted area at 14.2 million hectares.

 

This estimate puts area down slightly from 14.5 million hectares the previous year.

 

Area is down in part because soybeans prices this season have not been as attractive as they were a year ago, the Secretariat said in a previous report. Area is down in La pampa, Cordoba, Chaco and Santiago del Estero, though it is unchanged in Buenos Aires and Santa Fe.

 

Farmers have planted almost all of the 2004-05 crop and are now beginning to harvest it.

 

The US Department of Agriculture has forecast 2004-05 soybean production at 39 million tonnes with area at 14.2 million hectares. The Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange has put local soybean output at 37.7 million tonnes in 2004-05.

 

Corn

 

 

The Secretariat left unchanged its estimate for 2004-05 corn production of 19 million tonnes.

 

That estimate puts production close to a record 19.36 million tonnes harvested in 1997-98, according to Secretariat data.

 

The Secretariat sees the planted area of 2004-05 corn at 3.42 million hectares. This estimate, which is up from 2.988 million a year earlier, includes about 660,000 hectares of corn grown for use as animal feed.

 

Production is expected to rise because of a "strong increase in planting in central Buenos Aires, southern Santa Fe, Entre Rios, eastern Cordoba, Chaco, Santiago del Estero and Tucuman," the Secretariat said, repeating comments from last month's report. Favorable climatic conditions have also been good for the crop.

 

As with soy, farmers have planted almost all of the corn crop and have already begun to collect it in some areas.

 

In 2003-04 Argentina produced 15 million tonnes of corn.

 

The USDA has forecast 2004-05 corn output at 19.5 million tonnes while the Exchange sees production totaling 19.2 million.

 

Wheat

 

 

The Secretariat confirmed previous estimates that put Argentina's 2004-05 wheat production at 16 million tonnes.

 

Farmers planted 6.24 million hectares of 2004-05 wheat, up 3.4 percent from a year earlier.

 

The Exchange forecast 2004-05 output at 16.345 million tonnes. The USDA has forecast Argentina's 2004-05 wheat production at 16 million tonnes.

 

Farmers produced 14.55 million tonnes of wheat in 2003-04, according to the Secretariat.

 

Argentine wheat is planted from May to August and collected from October to January.