Dry weather to boost Argentina’s soybean harvest

Dry conditions expected in the coming days will give Argentina’s soybean harvest a much-needed boost after recent rains delayed the harvest, the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange said on Wednesday.

Argentina, the world’s largest exporter of soybean oil and meal, was hit by heavy rains in March and early April that flooded fields and prevented farmers from harvesting their crops.

A storm front is expected to pass through the country’s agricultural heartland, but low humidity means little or no rainfall, the exchange said.

Roads and fields have already started to dry out after several days of sunshine, and that continues.

Farmers had harvested nearly 5% of their soybean crop by Wednesday, 2.6 percentage points below the five-year average.

The exchange added that yields so far are higher than expected, at 3.9 tonnes per hectare. The exchange estimates the soybean harvest at 48.6 million tons.

Corn harvesting is also ongoing, with 28% of the harvest completed.

According to the exchange, yields are unexpectedly high, and the corn harvest “may exceed initial expectations,” with production this season estimated at 49 million tons.

Tags: soybean, harvesting, Argentina