April 28, 2008

Strikes halve Argentina's March soy crush

Argentina crushed 1.18 million tonnes of soy in March, down 50 percent from the 2.36 million tonnes during the same month last year, according to the Agriculture Secretariat.

A three-week farm strike in March blocked grain transport and prevented beans from reaching processing facilities.

In March, soyoil production was 225,844 tonnes, half the 457,221 tonnes produced in March 2007. March soymeal output was also similarly halved from 1.8 million tonnes March last year to 904,722 tonnes.

Argentina is the world's leading soymeal and soyoil exporter.

Argentina's sunseed crushing operations were also down but to a less extent. Sunseed crushing reached 510,405 tonnes in March, down 2.1 percent from a year earlier.

Dry weather cut sunseed yields last season, with farmers growing 3.5 million tonnes in 2006-07 compared to 3.8 million tonnes a year earlier.