Recent rains in Argentina's grain belt have moistened fields that had been left dry by hot weather, helping to speed soya and corn planting as well as development of already-planted fields, the agriculture ministry said in its weekly crop report on Friday.
The ministry expects a record high 20.1 million hectares of Argentine farmland to be sown with soya in the 2014/15 crop year, 48 percent of which has already been planted. "Rains during the past week allowed for continuation of planting and improvement of developing crops," the report said. The South American grains powerhouse is the world's No 3 soyabean exporter and the top supplier of soyameal livestock feed.
The ministry said 48 percent of the 5.6 million hectares expected to be sown with corn have been planted so far. Argentina's 2014/15 wheat crop has already been planted, and has started to be harvested in some areas. The government expects a wheat crop of 12 million tonnes, while the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange expects 11.5 million tonne wheat harvest.
"Wheat harvesting in Santa Fe, Cordoba and Entre Rios provinces has produced varying yields with generally mediocre quality due to excessive heat during early stages of plant development," the report said. The exchange forecasts 20.6 million hectares of soya and 3.0 million hectares of commercial use corn will be sown. The exchange has not yet issued corn or soya harvest estimates for the 2014/15 crop year.
The US Department of Agriculture expects Argentina to harvest 12 million tonnes of wheat this crop year versus 10.5 million in 2013/14. The USDA forecasts an Argentine soya crop of 55 million tonnes versus 54 million in 2013/14, and 23 million tonnes of corn this season versus 25 million in 2013/14. Rosario grains exchange says it expects Argentine farmers to plant 20.7 million hectares with soya in the 2014/15 season. Rosario sees the 2014/15 commercial-use corn harvest at 21.5 million tonnes and wheat at 12.0 million.
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