ARGENTINA (18 September)
Planting of the 2003/04 wheat crop has been completed under generally dry weather conditions. Lack of adequate soil moisture is reported in large areas of the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe, which could provoke adverse effects on resulting yields. The main producing provinces of Buenos Aires and La Pampa have also been affected by the absence of adequate rains. The harvest is due from late October/early November, and early official forecasts indicate an about average output of some 14.5 million tonnes, higher than the 12.3 million tonnes collected last year. Planting of the 2003/04 maize crop has only just begun, and adequate conditions for sowing have been reported in most areas. Intended plantings are provisionally forecast at about 2.4 million hectares, which is similar to the planted area size for 2002/03.
The tight food-supply situation which had so seriously affected segments of the population, as a consequence of the economic problems faced by the country in past few years, has largely been mitigated through government relief programmes carried out in collaboration with international welfare organizations.