Rains alleviated dry Argentine corn and soya fields over the weekend, helping to avoid yield losses that had been feared would follow weeks of unusually hot and dry weather, a local climate expert said on Monday. The Argentine government expects 20.2 million hectares of soya and 5.5 million hectares of corn to be planted in the 2014/15 season. The South American grains powerhouse is a major exporter of both crops, as well as soyameal livestock feed.
"It rained over the weekend in the key area of Rio Cuarto (Cordoba province), which had been very dry. This was good for the crops," said German Heinzenknecht, a meteorologist at consultancy Applied Climatology. Almost a third of Argentina's soya and corn crop is in its weather-sensitive flowering phase. Cordoba is Argentina's second most important farm province after Buenos Aires.
With help from the recent showers, 70 percent to 80 percent of Argentina's Pampas farm belt was enjoying very favourable conditions by Monday, Heinzenknecht said. The rains hit Entre Rios and Santa Fe provinces as well as parts of Buenos Aires and Cordoba. The good conditions were expected to consolidate in these areas over the week ahead, when more showers were expected, Heinzenknecht added. The US Department of Agriculture forecasts a 2014/15. Argentine soya crop of 55 million tonnes, and a corn harvest of 22 million.
Comments
Comments are closed.