Locusts in Argentina have devoured an estimated 2 million tons of corn crop
In Argentina, about 564,000 hectares more corn was planted than expected, resulting in a record corn crop in the core region. Production could have reached 17 million tons, but locusts interfered.
The area planted to maize was much larger than expected, approaching 2 million hectares. About 564,000 hectares more than expected was planted in the core region. Excluding the area devoted to feed production and losses due to locusts, the commercial corn area (grain crop) reached 1.6 million hectares.
How much corn was lost to locusts in the region?
Prior to the locusts, the average corn yield in the region was estimated at 10.3 tons/ha, which would have yielded at least 16.5 million tons of grain per season. This is a colossal impact considering that locusts only affect late crops. Thus, the 2023/24 maize season would end with a yield of 9.1 t/ha and production of 14.5 million tons.
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