July 25, 2006

 

Argentina's 2005/06 soybeans holds at 99-percent collected

 

 

Argentina's 2005/06 soybean crop remains at 99 percent collected for the sixth consecutive week, the Agriculture Secretariat reported Monday (Jul 24).

 

That pace is in line with the previous year.

 

As of Thursday, farmers nationwide had collected 15,062,350 hectares.

 

Planted area totals 15,329,107 million hectares, compared with 14.4 million a year ago.

 

According to the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange, farmers had finished collecting the crop a couple of weeks ago. Output totalled 40.75 million tonnes.

 

Last year, farmers produced a record 38.3 million tonnes of soy, according to the Secretariat, which has forecast output this season at a record 40.2 million tonnes.

 

The US Department of Agriculture sees Argentina's soybean production at 41.3 million tonnes.

 

 

Corn

 

Farmers had also harvested 98 percent of the 2005/06 corn crop by Thursday (Jul 20).

 

That puts the pace up from 97 percent a week ago and in line with that of a year ago, when area was bigger.

 

As of Thursday, farmers had harvested 2,358,610 hectares.

 

Planted area totals 3.165 million hectares compared with 3.4 million hectares a year earlier. This includes corn grown exclusively for use as animal feed.

 

According to the Exchange, farmers had collected all of 2.26 million hectares by Jul 21.

 

The Exchange's estimate does not include corn planted for use as animal feed. The average yield last week was 6.54 tonnes per hectare, putting production so far at 14.06 million metric tonnes, according to the Exchange.

 

The Secretariat has forecast corn production this season at 14 million tonnes, down from 20 million tonnes a year ago, when excellent weather lifted yields to record levels.

 

The Exchange has forecast Argentine corn production at 14.4 million tonnes while the USDA has put local output at 14 million tonnes.