Lack of Rain, Late Frosts Hit Argentina’s 2019/20 Wheat Crops -Grains Exchange

(Agriculture.com) – A lack of rainfall and late frosts over Argentina’s main wheat-producing region are already leading to drop in crop yields, the Rosario grains exchange said on Tuesday.

Argentina, a major global wheat exporter, had reported 6.87 million hectares (17 million acres) of growth in the planting area for the 2019/20 season.

September has been a particularly dry month for an important part of Argentina’s farming region, which has been experiencing unusually low temperatures for the time of year. There is also no significant rainfall expected in the short term.

There are wheat areas seeing yield losses of between 20% and 40% due the adverse weather, according to the grains exchange.

“More than 800,000 hectares of wheat are in regular and bad conditions in Argentina,” the grains exchange said, adding that the province of Buenos Aires is the district most affected by weather conditions.

The dry conditions that affect large swaths of the South American country are also making it difficult to plant corn for the 2019/20 harvest, adding to uncertainty around next month’s presidential election that could see business-friendly incumbent Mauricio Macri lose power.