April 26, 2021
2020/2021 Argentina corn crop forecast increased to 50 million tonnes
The Rosario grains exchange has increased Argentina's 2020/2021 corn crop forecast from 48.5 million tonnes to 50 million tonnes, because of a higher planting area and good yields in the Cordoba province, Reuters reported.
The exchange's soy crop forecast remained at 45 million tonnes.
The exchange said there will a record harvest at the Cordoba province, adding that it is important to sustaining the country's corn production as the province contributes 42% of total volume.
Cordoba was unaffected by the drought that hit the Pampas grains belt from mid-2020 through February, which impacted Buenos Aires and Santa Fe provinces. Concerns about drought-related crop losses were eased by rains in March and April.
However, there has been so much rain that corn and soy harvest have been delayed, because multi-tonne combines are getting slowed down in the mud.
A report by the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said that corn harvesting is slower by 17.5 percentage points than in 2020, while soy is 38 percentage points slower. It said 17% of corn crops and 18.5% of soy crops have been harvested, while agreeing that Cordoba corn crops have excellent performance expectations.
Argentina is the third biggest corn exporter in the world. Corn sowing in Argentina begins in September and ends in July the following year.
- Reuters