December 1, 2009

 

Argentina soy planting jumps ahead in wet fields

 

 

Argentine soy planting is moving forward due to good, wet conditions across much of the farm belt, the Agriculture Ministry said in its weekly crop report Monday (November 30).

 

However, in some areas, excess rainfall has stalled planting as farmers find it too muddy to operate machinery.

 

As of Nov. 26, 45 percent of the record 18.5 million hectares seen going to soy had been planted, according to the ministry.

 

The Rosario Grain Exchange forecasts soy production of 47 million tonnes, while the US Department of Agriculture projects 53 million tonnes.

 

Corn planting made little progress last week as farmers focused on soy. As of Nov. 26, 67 percent of the 3 million hectares seen going to the crop had been planted, according to the ministry.

 

The area is expected to be down 12 percent on the year.

 

The ministry hasn't estimated production yet, but the Rosario Grain Exchange sees total corn output of 13 million tonnes.

 

The wheat harvest is in full swing, but conditions remain poor in the south and southwestern fringes of the farm belt, which suffered from drought through the southern hemisphere winter. The crop is in good shape in the central farm belt.

 

By Nov. 26, farmers had harvested 13percent of the corp.

 

The Agriculture Ministry forecasts production of just 7 million tonnes.

 

Planted area is down 35percent on the year at 3.1 million hectares - the smallest area ever recorded, according to the ministry.

 

Farmers had planted 68percent of the 1.79 million hectares seen going to sunflower seeds this season. That marks an 8.5percent drop on the year.

 

Last week, the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange trimmed its forecast for sunflower seed area by 4.7percent to 1.42 million hectares due to low prices and dry weather in parts of Cordoba and San Luis provinces. That will likely lead farmers to shift some fields to soy, the exchange said.