April 8, 2004

Argentina's Agropuerto Maintains Estimates For 2003-04 Harvest

Argentine agriculture consulting firm Agropuerto on Wednesday maintained its production estimates for the country's main crops in the 2003-04 harvest.
 
The firm expects the Argentine wheat harvest to total 14 million metric tons, more than the 12.3 million tons in the 2002-03 season.
 
Agropuerto's forecast is more than the estimate of 13.5 million tons made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in March.
 
The company said it expects wheat planting for 2004-05 to drop by 10% from 6 million hectares in the 2003-04 season, adding that the decline could be worse if soil humidity doesn't improve in April and May.
 
For soybeans, it expects a harvest of 30.7 million tons, less than the 34.8-million ton harvest in the 2002-03 season. Agropuerto's 2003-04 estimate is less the USDA's March forecast of 36.5 million tons.
 
The soybean harvest is 20% complete, but yields are down by 20%, Agropuerto said. The first soybeans to be seeded are showing the best results, while those seeded later are expected to come in with a decline in yields of 25% to 35%.
 
The corn harvest is expected to total 11.5 million tons, down from 15 million tons in the 2002-03 season, Agropuerto said. The latest estimate is less than the USDA's forecast of 12.5 million tons.
 
The sunseed harvest, meanwhile, is expected to total 3.2 million tons, less than the 3.7 million tons of the 2002-03 season, according to Agropuerto. The USDA expects a harvest of 3 million tons this season.