January 18, 2005
Argentina's 2004-05 Wheat 99% Collected As Of Saturday; Wheat Sales At 4.28 Million Tons
Argentine farmers had collected 99.3% of the 2004-05 wheat crop as of Saturday, up from 94% a week ago, the latest data from the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange show.
The exchange did not say how the pace compares with that of the previous year.
The average yield so far is 2.74 metric tons per hectare, up 7.5% from a year earlier. The increase in overall yields has helped compensate for weak production in drought-affected northern provinces earlier in the year, the exchange said.
Production forecast stands at 16.35 million tons, compared with 13.7 million tons a year ago. As of Saturday, farmers had harvested 5.919 million hectares, putting production so far at 16.24 million tons.
Of a total 6.09 million hectares planted, around 5.987 million of will be harvested, according to the exchange.
Last year, Argentina planted 5.83 million hectares.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has forecast Argentina's 2004-05 wheat output at 16 million tons.
As of January 14, Argentina had sold an estimated 4.28 million metric tons of 2004-05 wheat, the latest Agriculture Secretariat data show. By this time last year Argentina had sold 3.065 million tons of 2003-04 wheat.
The Secretariat provided the following information for 2004-05 in metric tons by destination.
2004-05 2003-04
Algeria 300,000 150,000
Brazil 750,000 2,000,000
Chile 50,000 170,000
Colombia 50,000 150,000
Cuba 150,000 0
Egypt 750,000 0
Indonesia 150,000 0
Jordan 300,000 0
Peru 250,000 150,000
South Africa 350,000 225,000
Sri Lanka 330,000 0
United Arab Emirates 250,000 0
Uruguay 10,000 0
Yemen 100,000 50,000
Others 490,000 170,000
Total 4,280,000 3,065,000
