July 31, 2006

 

Argentina's farmers finish 2005/06 soybean harvest

 

 

Argentina's farmers have finished collecting the 2005/06 soybean crop, the Agriculture Secretariat reported Friday (Jul 28).

 

Planted area totalled 15,067,720 million hectares, compared with 14.4 million hectares a year ago.

 

According to the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange, farmers had finished collecting the crop several 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, leaving the collection pace unchanged on the week.

 

The pace is also unchanged from a year ago, when area was bigger.

 

As of Thursday farmers had harvested 2,377,710 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 doesn't include corn planted for use as animal feed. The average yield was 6.54 tonnes per hectare, putting production so far at 14.06 million tonnes, according to the Exchange.

 

The Secretariat has forecast corn production this season at 14 million tonnes, down from 20 million 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.