March 26, 2008

 

Argentine corn yields surprisingly high in some areas

 

 

Argentina's 2007-08 corn harvest progressed rapidly over the past week, with yields surprisingly high in some areas, the Agriculture Secretariat said in its weekly crop report Tuesday.

 

About 16 percent of the corn crop had been harvested as of March 20, one percentage point ahead of the harvest pace at this time last year, the Secretariat said.

 

Early drought cut yields in some areas, but higher rainfall recently has helped the late corn recover, according to the Secretariat.

 

In the Marcos Juarez district of Cordoba province, the traditional epicenter of corn production, yields were significantly higher than had been expected, the Secretariat said.

 

Output was averaging 9 tonnes per hectare in the center of the district.

 

In the Canada de Gomez district of Santa Fe province, yields were mixed, but also higher than expected.

 

Yields average 8.2 tonnes per hectare in the district, according to the Secretariat.

 

The Secretariat forecasts output at 20.5 million tonnes.

 

Soy

 

Just 240,000 hectares have been harvested so far, a considerable delay compared with the harvest pace last season, the Secretariat said.

 

The early soy is showing very mixed yields due to drought at the end of last year.

 

Farmers planted 16.6 million hectares with soy this season, the largest area ever sown with the beans, but output is seen at just 47 million tonnes, compared with the record 47.5 million tonnes grown last season, according to the Secretariat.

 

Sunseed

 

Farmers have harvested 56 percent of the 2007-08 sunseed crop, 20 percentage points behind the harvest pace at this point last year. Production is estimated at 4.6 million tonnes, according to the Secretariat.