October 22, 2007

Argentina kicks off 2007/08 soy planting

Argentine farmers kicked off 2007/08 soy planting this week, the Agriculture Secretariat said in its weekly crop report Friday (October 19).

Early seeding started in the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe, the secretariat said.

Earlier this week, the secretariat said farmers will plant a record 16.5 million hectares with soy this season, a 2.2 percent increase from last season. Argentina produced a record 47.6 million tonnes of soy during the 2006/07 season.

On the other hand, corn planting continued to progress rapidly over the past week with farmers taking advantage of dry weather to get their seeds into the ground.

As of October 18, farmers had planted 55 percent of the 4 million hectares seen going to corn this season, 11 percentage points ahead of the planting pace on the same date last year, according to the secretariat.

The 2007/08 wheat crop is developing well after heavy rainfall over the past weeks, although some outbreaks of moisture-related diseases have been reported and farmers in those areas are treating the crops with fungicides, the secretariat said.

Earlier this week the secretariat forecast 2007/08 wheat production of between 14.5 million and 15.3 million tonnes. The US Department of Agriculture sees 14.5 million tonnes of wheat coming from the Pampas this season.

As of October 18, farmers had planted 28 percent of the 2.6 million hectares seen going to sunseeds this season, one percentage point behind the planting pace at this time last year, according to the secretariat.