December 26, 2007

 

Argentine wheat harvest gains, corn erratic

 

 

Farmers in Argentina made headway fir 2007/08 wheat in the last week, according to Agriculture Secretariat on Friday (December 21) in its weekly crop progress report.

 

As of December 20, farmers had already harvested 53 percent of the 5.7 million hectares planted with wheat, advancing 13 percentage points from a week earlier but still lagging last year's harvesting pace by 10 points.

 

Argentina is one of the world's top five wheat exporters, and the local government held its forecast for wheat production on Friday at 15.4 million tonnes, despite frost-related damage inflicted in November.

 

The government suspended the country's wheat export registry to assess the harm done by frost in parts of Buenos Aires province, which accounts for more than 60 percent of Argentina's total wheat output.

 

But the government report said damage was only partial in most places.

 

Yields in Buenos Aires province are coming in between 2.5 tonnes and 4.4 tonnes per hectare, the report said.

 

Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture cut its outlook for Argentine wheat to 15 million tonnes from the previous month's 15.5 million tonnes.

 

On the other hand, the Argentine corn crop harvest is uncertain due to patchy moisture in the growing region, the report said.

 

Argentina is the world's second-biggest corn exporter after the United States with 2006/07 harvest totalling a record 21.8 million tonnes, according to government figures. Many industry analysts expect this year's harvest to be even bigger.

 

Still, moisture still lacks in some central areas of Cordoba province, the country's largest corn producer.

 

In Buenos Aires province, the No. 2 corn grower, the crop is in better condition due to recent rains.

 

By Thursday, farmers had planted 87 percent of the 4 million hectares forecast to be seeded, gaining 3 percentage points from a week earlier but lagging last season's tempo by 1 point.

 

The US Department of Agriculture forecasts Argentina's 2007/2008 corn harvest at 22.5 million tonnes, while the government has yet to estimate production.