© Archyde.com/AGUSTIN MARCARIAN
Soybean plantation in a field in the Province of Buenos Aires. Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Jan 28 (Archyde.com) – Argentina may be behind the worst of the summer drought, but the risk of dry weather conditions for the country’s crops remains real, the Rosario Stock Exchange said.
(BCR) in its latest weather analysis.
The world’s largest exporter of processed soybeans and second largest of corn was hit hard by drought from December to mid-January, when a fortnight of rain helped limit crop yield losses and improve conditions.
“Are we leaving the drought behind? From a climatic point of view, the answer is clear: yes, the situation was resolved with the atmospheric change in the second half of January. But from the point of view of crops, no, since the 50% of the core region continues to have scarce reserves and drought, taking into account the demand for a permanent grassland,” the BCR said.
Archyde.com recently traveled to key farming regions in Buenos Aires province, where rains helped revive crops, but farmers said they had already suffered substantial losses due to earlier drought.
The South American country recorded heavy rains in some areas, especially in the northwestern agricultural belt in the second half of January, while some agricultural areas received lower amounts of rain and were in need of more water in the coming weeks.
“The accumulated figures for January show that all the areas that received less than 100 millimeters have problems to face what follows if the next two weeks of February do not compensate for the lack of millimeters,” the report said.
“No rain is expected in the coming week due to the entry of a mass of cold and dry air that will provide stable conditions. Only next Wednesday could an increase in cloudiness and the appearance of unstable weather conditions be observed,” he said in the report José Luis Aiello, meteorologist and
BCR advisor.
(Reporting by Adan Jourdan; Editing by Walter Bianchi)