November 16, 2004

Argentina's 2004-05 Wheat Crop Seen at 14.6 Million MT
 
Argentine farmers will harvest 14.6 million metric tons of wheat in 2004-05, according to the Buenos Aires Cereals Exchange forecast on Monday.
 
"Of the 6.09 million hectares that have been planted, around 5.99 million will likely be collected, tentatively putting the production of all types of wheat at 14.6 million tons," the exchange said.
 
Last year, Argentina planted 5.83 million hectares and produced 13.7 million tons, according to the exchange. The USDA has forecast Argentina's 2004-05 wheat output at 14.5 million tons.
 
As of Saturday, farmers had collected 7.7% of the 2004-05 wheat crop, the latest exchange data show. The exchange didn't say how the pace of collection compares with the previous year.
 
Farmers have thus far collected 460,000 hectares, putting production at 521,423 metric tons.
 
The average yield last week was 1.13 tons per hectare, which is below the 2.38 tons forecast by the US Department of Agriculture.
 
However, the exchange said it expects average yields to rise "considerably" as collection moves into areas where climatic conditions have been more favorable to the crop's development.
 
The exchange estimated that the average yield this season will total 2.44 tons per hectare.