Argentine wheat plants are badly in need of heavier rains despite scattered showers that helped speed corn plantings in some areas this week, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday. Argentina, a leading global wheat exporter and key supplier to neighbouring Brazil, forecasts lower 2011/12 output of between 11 million and 13 million tonnes compared with 14.7 million last season due to recent dry weather.
In parts of Buenos Aires province, which accounts for about half of Argentina's wheat production, scant soil moisture continues to raise concern for yields as wheat enters key development stages. "Although there still isn't major crop damage, rains are needed in the near future to avert significant yield losses," the ministry said in a weekly crop progress report, referring to the Buenos Aires district of Pigue.
Patchy rainfall across the country's Pampas plains was generally not heavy enough to replenish thirsty wheat, the report added. Growers in the South American country have planted the grain on 4.53 million hectares, the government says. In a September 12 forecast, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated a harvest of 13.5 million tonnes. Argentina is also the world's second-largest corn supplier after the United States, gathering a record harvest of 22.9 million tonnes in the 2010/11 crop season, according to the government's most recent estimate.
The rainfall of recent days spurred sowing in some places but cool temperatures mean many growers are stalling their plantings for now, the ministry said. "In Laboulaye, the rains registered were a bit more interesting and tempted some growers to start seeding," it said, referring to a district in the south of No 2 corn-producing province, Cordoba.
By Thursday, farmers had planted 17 percent of the estimated area of 4.9 million hectares, up 7 percentage points from a week earlier but still lagging last season's pace by 3 points. Agriculture Secretary Lorenzo Basso told Reuters earlier this month corn production could increase to as much as 30 million tonnes this season, above the US Department of Agriculture outlook for 27.5 million tonnes. With regard to 2011/12 sunseeds, the government said growers had planted 19 percent of the estimated sunseed area of 1.7 million hectares, up 2 points from the prior week.