Argentina sees 2024/25 wheat planting area at 6.15 mln hectares

Argentina’s government on Thursday pegged the planting area for the upcoming 2024/25 wheat crop at 6.15 million hectares, above the 5.9 million hectares planted in the previous cycle.

Factors such as economic conditions, soil humidity and the high probability of the occurrence of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina could affect planting area, the government said in a monthly report.

Argentina is a key wheat exporter and harvested 15.9 million metric tons in the 2023/24 season, according to official data.

Soil moisture “ranges from adequate to optimal in most cases, and if kept at adequate levels toward the planting date, will positively impact decision-making” regarding how much wheat farmers plant, the government said.

But the government cautioned that producers remain uncertain due to crop prices and the impact of a possible La Nina weather phenomenon, which in Argentina leads to decreased rainfall, in the second half of the year.

Wheat planting will begin in the coming days in Argentina.

The government maintained its soybean production forecast for the 2023/24 cycle at 49.7 million tons.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Kylie Madry and Maximilian Heath)