September 11, 2007

Argentina starts corn plantation; warmth helps sowing

Argentina's s farmers extended planting of 2007/08 corn during the past week, taking advantage of warmer temperatures to sow the crop in the few fields with sufficient soil moisture, the Agriculture Secretariat said in its weekly crop report Monday (September 10).

Dry weather and frosts have been preventing the start of wide-scale planting of the corn crop, according to the Secretariat.

Until September 6, planting was slow and only in lots with adequate soil moisture in the provinces of Cordoba, Entre Rios and Santa Fe, it said.

Argentina will plant 3.9 million hectares of corn in 2007-08, up more than 9 percent from the 3.57 million hectares in 2006-07, according to the Secretariat. Heavy rainfall late in the 2006-07 corn harvest, which is practically completed, spurred very high yields and record production of 22 million tonnes, according to the Secretariat.

Farmers had planted 96 percent of the estimated 5.45 million hectare 2007-08 wheat crop as of Sept. 6, three percent behind last year's pace, according to the Secretariat.

Conditions are mixed, with cold, dry conditions slowing the crop's development in some areas like in Buenos Aires province, according to the Secretariat.

Sunseed planting is continuing slowly, particularly in the north of the country because of dry weather, according to the Secretariat. Around 9 percent of the area seen going to sunseed in the provinces of Chaco, Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero has been planted, 5 percentage points behind the rate of planting in the previous season at this time.

Sunseed planting in 2007-08 is seen at 2.6 million-2.7 million hectares, compared with the 2.447 million hectares planted last season, according to the Secretariat. High sunoil prices are seen spurring the 6%-10% gain.