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Drought has caused irrecoverable corn crop losses in some areas of Argentina despite the El Niño weather phenomenon which usually triggers heavy rains in South America, an analyst at the country’s main grains exchange said.
Argentina is the fourth largest exporter worldwide of the grain and farmers raced to plant more in recent weeks after the new, business-friendly government eliminated export taxes and quotas for corn.
However, a lack of rain and high temperatures in the north east of the province of Buenos Aires, the main agriculture district of the country, is threatening the corn harvest.
“This zone is burning up,” said Sofia Corina, an analyst at the Rosario exchange. “I’ve received reports of lost plots of corn and corn that has lost 50 percent of its yield.”
“This is completely unheard-of for a year of El Niño,” she added.
El Niño is a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific that occurs every few years, triggering heavy rains and floods in South America and scorching weather in Asia and as far away as east Africa.
Two weeks ago, the Rosario exchange estimated the corn harvest for 2015/16 would be 23.8 million tons, up from 20.2 million tons in the previous season, due to a larger planting area and higher yields.
Corina said the area hit by drought represented 8 percent of the main agricultural area of the country, which is also a top global exporter of soy and wheat.
The expert said the lack of water also impacted soy but given the oilseed was not in its key period of growth, there was still time to avoid losses of the crop.
“If it rains, it can still be saved and manage to maintain its yields,” she said.
Argentina’s National Meteorological Office does not expect rain for that region in its weather forecast that predicts up to Friday. The temperature there is expected to reach up to 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Courtesy of agweek.com
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