April 25, 2006

 

Argentina's 2005/06 soybean crop 50 percent collected

 

 

Argentine farmers had harvested 50 percent of the 2005/06 soybean crop as of Saturday, the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange reported Monday (Apr 24).

 

That puts the collection pace down four percentage points from a year ago, largely due to "poor climate conditions during the threshing season in the centre-south soybean regions of the centre-south farming zone," the exchange said.

 

Yet an increase "in the availability of water at the end of January and in February and March helped partially compensate for prior losses," as did new techniques to economise the use of water and better seeds, it added.

 

As of Saturday, farmers had collected 7.751 million hectares, putting production until then at 20.895 million tonnes.

 

The average yield last week was 2.7 tonnes per hectare, up from 2.62 tonnes/hectare a week ago but down from 3.314 tonnes/hectare a year ago when nearly ideal weather lifted yields.

 

Planted area totals 15.62 million hectares, up from 14.67 million hectares a year earlier.

 

Last year, farmers produced a record 38.85 million tons of soy, according to the exchange.

 

The exchange has forecast 2005/06 output at 40.4 million tonnes while the US Department of Agriculture sees Argentina's soybean production at 40.5 million tonnes.

 

 

Corn

 

Farmers also had harvested 37.9 percent of the 2005/06 corn crop by Saturday, putting the collection pace up 2.6 percentage points from a week ago and up 16.7 points from a year earlier.

 

By that same date, farmers had harvested 834,074 hectares, putting production so far at 5.271 million tonnes.

 

The average yield last week was 6.32 tonnes/hectare, up from 6.26 tonnes/hectare a week ago because only a small amount of area was collected, mostly in the provinces of Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, the exchange said.

 

The average yield is down 20.6 percent from 7.96 tonnes a year ago. A lengthy drought during planting season is hurting yields.

 

The USDA has forecast Argentina's 2005/06 corn output at 14 million tonnes while the exchange puts it at the same amount, down from about 19.62 million tonnes a year earlier.

 

Production estimates are down because farmers planted less corn and dry weather damaged what was planted. Planted area totals 2.26 million hectares, down from 2.63 million hectares a year ago.

 

The 2005/06 area, including corn grown for use as animal feed, totals around 2.85 million hectares.

 

Argentines plant corn September through January and harvest it February through July.