March 31, 2008

 

Argentine grain harvest advances on good weather
 

 

Argentina's corn and soy harvest progressed rapidly over the past week with sporadic rainfall helping to improve crop conditions, the Agriculture Secretariat said in its weekly crop report Friday (March 31, 2008). 

 

 

Corn

 

About 22 percent of the corn crop had been harvested as of March 27, 3 percentage points 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.

 

The Secretariat forecasts output at 20.5 million tonnes.

 

 

Soy
 

The rainfall over the past week continued to improve soy conditions, although yields are lower in some areas due to early drought.

 

The early soy is showing very mixed yields due to drought at the end of last year, while later crops are faring better, according to the Secretariat.

 

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 71 percent of the 2007-08 sunseed crop, 17 percentage points behind the harvest pace at this point last year. Production is estimated at 4.6 million tonnes, according to the Secretariat.