Argentine 2010/11 soya is in a patchy condition depending on how much rain has fallen, but many crops in the top growing region are developing well, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday. Argentina is the world's No 3 exporter of soyabeans and the top supplier of soyaoil and meal, but weeks of dryness caused by La Nina earlier this year prompted analysts to lower their estimates for soya this season's output.
Heavy rains since mid-January helped crops recover and offset the damage. But plant development remains patchy with some areas affected by too much rain and others lacking sufficient moisture. "Crops are in good, average and bad shape," the government said in a weekly crop progress report about the Rio Segundo and Santa Maria districts in Cordoba province, the country's No 2 soya producing region.
Conditions are better in top growing province Buenos Aires, the weekly report said. "Soil conditions are ideal (in Bragado district) due to the rains that have fallen on a weekly basis since the second week of January," it said. The Buenos Aires grains exchange forecasts 2010/11 soya output at 48.8 million tonnes.