November 2, 2004

Argentina's 2004-05 Soy 3.6% Planted as of Saturday
 
Argentine farmers had planted 3.6% of the 2004-05 soybean crop as of Saturday, the latest data from the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange show.
 
The exchange did not say how the pace of planting compares with that of a year ago, when farmers planted 14.5 million hectares and harvested 32.2 million metric tons of soy.
 
The exchange has estimated this season's area at 14.72 million hectares. So far some 526,750 hectares have been planted.
 
About 42% of the planting has occurred in eastern Cordoba, center-south Santa Fe, eastern Entre Rios and northern Buenos Aires, the exchange said. Planting elsewhere has been slow because of a lack of humidity or low soil temperatures, the exchange noted.
 
In northern provinces, farmers will likely wait until later in November or December to plant, hoping that by then the soil will have more moisture.
 
Neither the exchange nor the Agriculture Secretariat has officially forecast 2004-05 soybean production. The US Department of Agriculture has estimated Argentina's 2004-05 soy output at 39 million tons.