January 13, 2004

Argentina Corn Harvest Down

Argentina's corn crop was trimmed to 12.5 million tonnes, down 1 million tonnes or 7 percent from an earlier estimate, due to dry weather in two key provinces, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday.

Last year, Argentina harvested 15.5 million tonnes of corn.

"The late-planted corn in western Cordoba Province had poor establishment conditions, which may lead to increased abandonment or harvest losses," the USDA said in its monthly World Agricultural Production report. The report was issued separately from the department's monthly world agricultural supply and demand estimates.

Drought during November in western crop-growing areas delayed or prevented corn planting in Cordoba and La Pampa provinces, the USDA said. The most severe delay was in the Rio Cuarto area of the Cordoba province, Argentina's largest corn area.

USDA officials travelled to the province in mid-December and confirmed the "poor condition" of the late-planted corn there, the report said.

However, crop-growing conditions were "very good" in the Santa Fe province, and record corn yields were expected in several areas of Argentina, the USDA said.

Source: USDA