The absence of rain and the heat wave registered at the beginning of February, in addition to the early frosts on the western margin of the agricultural area, determined a reduction of 4.5 million tons – from 38 to 33.5 million tons- the estimate of soybean production for the current campaign, indicated the Grain Exchange.
Meanwhile, the new projection of corn production for the 2022/23 campaign stands at 41 million tons, 11 million less than the total harvested in the previous cycle, added the entity in its latest Weekly Agricultural Panorama.
Drop in soybean yield
In the case of soybeans, the areas most affected by low temperatures and lack of water are concentrated in San Luis, South of Córdoba and North of La Pampa-West of Buenos Aires, with second-rate soybean fields being the most affected. .
The severity of the damage will be evaluated in the coming weeks and depending on the impact on the still standing boxes, the current production estimate might undergo a new update, warned the work of the Grain Exchange.
On the other hand, the corn harvest for commercial grain is advancing in the center of the national agricultural area and the yields obtained from early squares remain below initial expectations, as are the projected productivities in the North and South Nuclei.
Despite the expected drop in corn production, the impact that frost and heat stroke generated on the productive potential of late cereal plantings still remains to be evaluated, the entity clarified.
Regarding the sunflower harvest, 24.5% of the suitable area has been covered following a week-on-week progress of one percentage point.
The national average yield is 15.3 quintals per hectare and the projected production of 3.9 million tons is maintained.
Regarding the remaining area, more than half reached physiological maturity while 78.3% of what is still to be harvested reports a crop condition between Normal to Good, the entity completed.