Favourable crop weather allowed Argentine farmers to forge ahead with 2011/12 wheat planting last week, the government said on Friday. Argentina is a leading wheat grower and exports the bulk of its crop to neighbouring Brazil. Planting began last month and is progressing at a good pace despite some dryness.
"On Wednesday there were rains in Pigue and that means moisture levels were very good for seeding," the government said in its weekly crop progress report, referring to a district in Buenos Aires, the country's top wheat-growing region. Farming areas in northern and western Buenos Aires, and in the provinces of Cordoba, Entre Rios, La Pampa and Santa Fe saw some rain, which allowed growers to press ahead with sowing. However, freezing temperatures damaged wheat plantations in some areas, while in others farmers are still waiting for rain before they can plant.
By Thursday, farmers had planted 68 percent of the 4.7 million hectares earmarked for wheat, 14 percentage points ahead of the previous week, and matching last season's tempo. Earlier this week the Buenos Aires grains exchange lowered its 2011/12 wheat area forecast to 4.7 million hectares, a 5 percent cut from a previous forecast.
The rains that disrupted the 2010/11 corn and soya harvests in June eased slightly last week, which allowed farmers to forge ahead with gathering work, the report said. Argentina is the world's No 1 soyameal and soyaoil exporter, as well as its third-biggest soyabean supplier. Last month the government cut its estimate for the 2010/11 soya harvest to 49.6 million tonnes, from 50.4 million tonnes previously.
"In Avellaneda, the harvest of plots planted with late-season soya is almost finished and the yields are good," the report said, referring to a district in the Santa Fe region. According to the report, by Thursday growers had gathered 99 percent of the 18.7 million hectares estimated to be planted with soya, the same progress rate as the previous week.
Argentina is the second-largest corn exporter in the world after the United States, and farmers are expected to harvest high yields despite dryness caused by the La Nina weather anomaly in December and early January. Farmers had collected 90 percent of the 4.33 million hectares planted with 2010/11 corn by Thursday, advancing 3 percentage points from a week earlier, but 3 points short of their mark at this time last season. Corn harvesting work was very slow in previous weeks due to widespread rains. The government expects 21.6 million tonnes of corn to be harvested in the 2010/11 crop, while the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) foresees 22.0 million tonnes of corn to be produced in Argentina.
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