BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s wheat planting for the 2022/2023 season has been supported by rainfall in recent days that has helped ease drought conditions in some areas, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday, a boost for the key farm sector.

The exchange maintained its forecast for the wheat planted area at 6.1 million hectares (15 million acres) after the rains in the country’s southern agricultural region.

Argentina is a major global grains exporter, including for both wheat and corn.

The exchange said rainfall over central and southern areas of Buenos Aires and La Pampa provinces reduced the wheat planted area listed as in regular drought status by 9 percentage points to 35%, according to a weekly crop report.

Farmers have planted nearly all, or 98.8%, of the planned area for the grain used to make bread and pasta. The rain, however, could delay the final stage of corn harvesting for the 2021/2022 season, which has advanced to about 74% of the area destined for commercial corn production. Corn output for the cycle is seen at 49 million tonnes.