Economy Minister Sergio Massa vraised good expectations for the 2023 wheat harvest this Saturday claiming it “is much better than expected despite the drought”.
Mass qualified as “great news for Argentines” the quote announced by the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Juan José Bahillo, that the yield will reach 14.9 million tons.
“Great news for Argentines: the the wheat harvest report leaves us much better than expected for 2023”said Massa this afternoon from his Twitter account.
And I add: “Despite the drought and unfavorable conditionsWe really appreciate the efforts of the manufacturers.”
The estimated 14.9 million tons of harvest guarantee, according to Bahillo, “both internal supply and the exportable balance so that private companies meet their commitments”.
Bahillo also highlighted “the joint work between the government and the private sector to achieve a volume of grain that is in the average of the last decade, despite suffering one of the most severe droughts in history“.
In a press release, the area specified that the envisaged amount “guarantees the domestic supply of 6.5 million tons, exports of 4.75 million tons and 0.9 million tons for seeds”.
If these new official estimates materialize, the cereal harvest, heavily influenced by drought and late frosts, would decrease by 39.8% compared to the 2021/22 campaign; and the cultivated area fell by 12.6% to 5.9 million hectares.
According to the Secretariat’s monthly agricultural estimates report, to date, 81% of the vineyard area has been harvested at national level against 80% of the previous cycle.
Threshing ended in the NOA and in the Chaco, with very low yields, around 10 quintals per hectare (qq/ha), being the areas most affected by drought.
Similarly, in the provinces of Córdoba and Santa Fe, threshing “is practically finished, reaching average yield values of 18.8 and 23.2 qq/ha respectively, while in Buenos Aires the progress is 66% and the yields obtained are highly variable, estimating an average of 26.8 qq/ha”.
As regards exports for this campaign, the national portfolio is estimated at total volume of 4.75 million tonswhich implies a decrease compared to the previous cycle of 67%, equal to about 9.75 million tons.
For its part, private production projections have been lower than official ones: the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange (BCBA) has estimated a harvest of 12.4 million tons, while the Rosario Exchange (BCR) has set its forecast at 11.5 million tons.
Source: Clarin
