Argentina's corn harvest made progress amid pockets of rain during the past week, with "outstanding" early yield indications in some areas, the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (SAGyP) said.
Argentina's corn harvest remained ahead of last year's pace, and advanced by four percentage points during the week ending 26 March to 18pc complete. In Buenos Aries province, the pace of harvest increased, reaching 9pc complete, with yields in northern portions of the province exceeding 10 metric tonnes (t) per hectare (h). These indications were reinforced by yields averaging 10.5t/hectare (ha) in the region around Rosario, the Rosario Board of Trade (RBT) said.
Harvesting also remained ahead of last year's pace in the Cordoba and Santa Fe provinces — Argentina second- and third-largest corn producing regions — reaching 18pc and 54pc complete, respectively, SAGyP said.
Yield results from early-planted corn in Cordoba were reported as high as 13.5t/ha in some regions, while late-planted corn conditions continued to improve following additional rains.
Rains were also beneficial for late-planted corn in Santa Fe, but an increasing presence of armyworms on the crop was noted. Yield results from harvested corn were on par with Cordoba, reportedly as high as 13.5t/ha in some regions.
Soybean recovery likely limited
Argentina's soybean crop also benefited from the additional rain during the week as the crop continues to recover from early season drought damage, though some of the damage may be irreversible, RBT said.
Testing results indicated yields for early planted soybeans were 3.5t/ha in Santa Fe, but much more varied for later planted crops ranging from 0.5 to 3.0t/ha, SAGyP said.
In the southeaster portion of Cordoba province, test results indicated yields in the 1.5 to 2.0t/ha range, RBT said.
The rain has also resulted in regional flooding which could impact the pace of harvest, which is likely to begin next week.
Sunflowers remain good, despite harvest delays
The pace of the sunflower harvest was slowed by the rain during the week — advancing only 10 percentage points — but remained ahead of last year's rate at 61pc complete as of 26 March, SAGyP said.
The pace is most delayed in La Pampa, with was 22 points behind last year at 43pc complete. The harvest in Buenos Aries was lagging as well, eight points behind last year's rate at 30pc complete.
Field results remain positive, with oil content in "good" condition, SAGyP said. Sunflower yields in Cordoba were reportedly in the range of 2.5 to 3.0t/ha, and far more varied in La Pampa in the range of 1.4 to 4.0t/ha.
