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Argentina corn planting area seen rising by 25pc

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BUENOS AIRES: Argentina's 2016/17 corn planting area is expected to be 4.5 million hectares, up from 3.6 million hectares in the previous season, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said in a report on Wednesday.

Corn sowing for the 2016/17 crop year started several weeks ago.

This will be the first full planting season under the policies of Mauricio Macri, who won Argentina's presidency last year on a free-markets platform following eight years of heavy trade controls under the previous government.

Soon after his December inauguration, Macri ditched corn and wheat export taxes and relaxed the curbs that had been put on international shipments of both grains.

His policies are aimed at diversify farm production after years of over-planting soy.

Copyright Reuters, 2016