BUENOS AIRES: Heavy rainfall that battered Argentina at the start of this month should ease up in the coming weeks, the Rosario Stock Exchange said on Friday, which could help crops recover and farmers harvest their plants as soil begins to dry.

“The short-term forecasts are encouraging,” the report said, saying lack of rain forecast until at least next Wednesday would offer “a window of opportunity for agricultural activities before the likely isolated and intermittent showers” expected over south-western parts of the country’s farming heartlands.

Argentina is one of the world’s two largest exporters of soybean oil and meal, and the third largest of corn, but heavy rains in recent weeks have hampered the harvesting phase, with some parts seeing over 100 millimeters (3.94 inches) in the last week.

The report said many soybean lots were under water and farmers had to push back corn harvests, while seed quality could be lost due to the ground conditions. Some areas, however, maintained optimistic yield forecasts, it said.

Corn harvesting remains in its early stages with just 11% reaped, the report added, though some farmers are considering harvesting from wetter ground to avoid extra drying costs.