Argentina to harvest at least 15 million tonnes of wheat

Argentine farmers are expected to harvest at least 15 million tonnes of wheat in the 2016/17 crop year versus 11.3 million in the previous season, Agriculture Minister Ricardo Buryaile said on Tuesday. Wheat planting in Argentina expanded dramatically when President Mauricio Macri eliminated export taxes soon after his December inauguration. He was elected last year on a platform of dismantling the strict controls that the previous government had placed on Latin America's No 3 economy.
Argentine farmers likely planted 5.19 million hectares with wheat this year, the Agriculture Ministry said last month. Argentine wheat is harvested mainly in December and January.