Argentina wheat productivity at risk after recent rains disappoint
Argentina’s agricultural heartland needs more rain soon to avoid wheat productivity losses and finish planting early season corn, after showers last week failed to quench parched farmlands, the Rosario grains exchange said on Wednesday.
Agricultural powerhouse Argentina is a key global exporter of wheat and the world’s third-biggest corn exporter, but a historic drought severely hit the previous 2022/23 crops.
Western agricultural areas still await rainfall to help restore soil moisture levels.
In a report, the exchange said that between 15-20 milliliters of water are needed “to maintains the crops’ potential,” but that in general less than half of the agricultural area has received this much rain.
The lack of rain could affect the Rosario’s forecast of 15 million metric tons for the 2023/24 wheat production, while it could also hit the exchange’s projection of 56 million tons for the 2023/24 corn output.
A separate weather report from the Buenos Aires grains exchange on Wednesday showed that most of the Argentine agricultural area, as well as northwestern Paraguay, will receive less than 10 milliliters of rain in the coming days.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by David Gregorio)
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