May 21, 2007
Argentina starts wheat planting, area down 5.5 percent
Argentine farmers have started the first planting of 2007/08 wheat, although it is too early to forecast progress, the Agriculture Secretariat said in its weekly crop report Friday (May 18).
Argentina will plant 5.2 million hectares with wheat in the 2007/08 season, down 5.5 percent from the area dedicated to wheat in 2006/07, the Agriculture Secretariat said this week.
Soy
Farmers had harvested 77 percent of the 2006/07 soy crop as of May 17, compared with 88 percent at the same point a year ago, according to the secretariat.
The secretariat sees a record 45.2 million tonnes of soybeans coming from the 2006/07 crop. The US Department of Agriculture pegs output at 45.5 million tonnes.
Corn
Farmers are still prioritising the soy harvest, and high moisture levels in the corn crop are slowing harvest, the secretariat said.
Farmers had harvested 62 percent of the 2006/07 corn crop, 10 percentage points behind the harvest pace a year ago.
The secretariat and the USDA forecast 22 million tonnes of corn coming from this year's crop.
Sunseed
Farmers had collected 99 percent of the sunseed crop, in line with the harvest pace at the same date a year ago.
The secretariat sees 2006/07 sunseed production of 3.44 million tonnes.
Estimates for Argentina's 2007/08 crop production in millions of hectares (Ha) or millions of tonnes (MT).
|
|
Wheat |
Soy |
Corn |
Sunseed |
|
Agriculture Secretariat |
5.2 Ha |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
|
USDA |
12.8 MT |
N.A. |
24 MT |
N.A. |
|
B.A. Cereals Exchange |
5.16 Ha |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. - not available
Estimates for Argentina's 2006/07 crop production in millions of tonnes:
|
|
Wheat |
Soy |
Corn |
Sunseed |
|
Agriculture Secretariat |
14 |
45.2 |
22 |
3.44 |
|
USDA |
14.2 |
45.5 |
22 |
3.5 |
|
B.A. Cereals Exchange |
13.8 |
46 |
22.5 |
3.4 |
Argentina's historical production estimates in millions of tonnes, according to the Agriculture Secretariat:
|
|
Wheat |
Soy |
Corn |
Sunseed |
|
Jun-05 |
12.6 |
4.05 |
14.5 |
3.8 |
|
May-04 |
16 |
38.3 |
20.5 |
3.7 |
|
Apr-03 |
14.6 |
31.6 |
15 |
3.1 |
|
Mar-02 |
12.3 |
35 |
14.7 |
3.4 |
|
Feb-01 |
15.3 |
30 |
15.43.8 |
3.8 |
