May 17, 2011

 

Argentina reaps 82% of 2010/11 soy crop

 

 

Dry weather has aided Argentina's farmers to advance quickly in the previous week in bringing in the country's 2010/11 soy crop, the government said.

 

As of Thursday, 82% of the 18.7 million hectares of Argentine farmland planted with soy had been harvested, up 8 percentage points compared to the week before, the report said.

 

Lack of rain allows harvesting machines to advance more quickly. However, the pace of 2010/11 soy gathering as of Thursday was 3 percentage points slower than at the same point in the previous season, the government report added.

 

"Practically all the soy in the area of Villa Maria (in the center of Cordoba province) is harvested, leaving only a few late-seeded soy fields to be brought in," the report said.

 

Cordoba is the second biggest soy producing province in Argentina.

 

The Agriculture Ministry estimates this season's crop at 50.4 million tonnes.

 

The Buenos Aires Grains Exchange sees Argentina's 2010/11 soy crop at 49.2 million tonnes.

 

The government report noted a particularly "intense" rhythm to the harvest over the previous week in central Buenos Aires province, Argentina's top soy producing area.

 

Yields in some areas of the country are uneven due to a drought that hit Argentina toward the end of 2010, but heavy rains in January and February helped avoid major crop losses.

 

The 2010/11 corn harvest also advanced at a quick pace over the previous week, the report said, although some farms prioritised soy-gathering operations in order to allow corn plants to fully mature.

 

The South American country is the world's No.2 corn producer after the US. The Argentine government estimates production this season at 20.9 million tonnes.

 

As of Thursday, corn producers had brought in 71% of the 2010/11 crop, an advance of 7 percentage points over the previous week and 3 percentage points faster than this point in last season's harvest. Argentina has 4.16 million hectares planted with corn.

 

The Buenos Aires exchange expects a harvest of 20 million tonnes.

 

Argentine farmers started planting 2011/12 wheat this month. The government warned that dry conditions in southern Buenos Aires province was slowing initial plantings, causing worries among farmers.

 

The Agriculture Ministry has not published a 2011/12 wheat area estimation, but the Buenos Aires exchange sees an area of 4.95 million hectares.