Soy sowing near complete, La Pampa, Burenos Aires need rain: BAGE

Argentina’s Buenos Aires Grain Exchange on Thursday said 99% of the expected planting has been complete, but warned that without consistent rain across the centre and south of the country production of beans will be hit.

In its weekly report, the exchange said that abundant rainfall in the northeast and northwest regions means the soil has enough moisture to complete sowing.

And despite early signs that the crop elsewhere in the country was showing normal to good conditions, production will still be hit unless the areas of La Pampa and Buenos Aires receive rain.

“The center and south of the agricultural region only recorded precipitations in specific sectors and if during the next few weeks there is no rain during the crop’s critical stages, (it could) put at risk the volume of national production,” the report said.

“The campaign is in the hands of the short-term weather conditions,” the report said.

In terms of corn, sowing is 92.4% complete on 5.4 million hectares, up 5.9 percentage points more than last year and up 1.1 percentage points on the week and the condition is widely expected to be that of historical averages, the exchange said.

The corn harvest is expected to start in 20 days.