Argentina pledges to increase corn exports to help ease tight global markets
Argentina pledges to export an extra 2.75 million tons of corn from its 2011-12 harvest to a total of 16.45 million tons helping to ease tight international markets after this summer's drought in the US damaged crops there and fuelled fears of a food crisis.
The announcement was made Friday by Argentina's minister of agriculture Norberto Yauhar during a meeting with the UN's Food and Agriculture director general Jose Graziano da Silva in Rome.
Prospects of a bumper crop in the US, the world's largest corn exporter, were quashed in recent months after scorching heat reduced crop yields and pushed down production forecasts. This year will go down as the hottest summer in US history since records were stated by the country’s Met office.
US corn inventories are now expected to hit their lowest level in nearly two decades over the 2012-13 marketing year, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
The Argentine minister said the outlook for both rainfall and plantings of corn and soybeans for the 2012-13 harvest were “very positive”. Argentina, the world's second biggest corn exporter, was responsible for around 15% of the world's exports in the last three years, according to FAO.
Graziano da Silva said there is no “threat of a global food crisis at present,” but there was a need to remain “vigilant and monitor the situation closely”.
Corn is the main feedstock for ethanol production in the US, where around 42% of the 2012-13 crop is expected to be converted into the bio-fuel.
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13 comments Feed
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Your paranoia is showing again.
No one hates Argentina. In fact 99.9% of the time no one even thinks twice about Argentina.
All of Argentina's woes are self inflicted, only people like you refuse to accept the fact that it is the fault of Argentina, so it must be the rest of the world 'picking' on you.
Quite frankly, the rest of the world have far more important things to think about than Argentina.
In fact you only register on my radar because of belligerent attitude of the Argentine government to the peaceful people of the Falkland Islands. If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't give Argentina a second thought, or a first one to be honest.
But even if you are telling the truth, you think we care about you? You and your country are just as insignifant in my life as I am to you.
Where im post do I disparage you or Argentina as worthless?
In fact your paranoia is so bad now that you see things that aren't there.
But your last sentence is probably the only truthful thing you've ever posted. Such things apply to everyone in the world. We all have our own lives, with their inherent problems, which are far more important to us than other people's problems.
Countries also have problems of one kind or another. The difference is that the governments of most countries accept these problems at face value, and work on solutions. The Argentine government refuses to accept any responsibility for the problems of Argentina, and prefers instead to blame anyone and everyone else. Let's see, who does the Argentine government blame?
The Falkland Islanders
The British
The USA
The EU
The WTO
G20
The Unions
The Opposition
The Middle Class
The Working Class
The People of Argentina.
In fact the Argentine government blames anyone but themselves, don't they?
But regarding the story, it's good news for Argentina surely? If the corn markets really are in need if extra corn, this can only help Argentina, assuming people want to pay the asking price, of course.
How about understanding that countries go up and down and before you people get too arrogant understand things could easily reverse in just a few decades? (the way things are going in Europe or the USA, that seems not a far fetched notion).
Your country is a colonial country born out of the suffering of the native people's of South America. Your hypocrisy appears to know no bounds, does it?
The true cost if democracy is constant vigilance, and every citizen of a democracy is responsible for maintaining it. Britain has been a democracy for several hundred years. We have not had an absolute Monarch since Charles I, and the only time we dabbled with republicanism we ended up with a dictator far worse than any Monarch had been, hence why we choose the middle ground of a Constitutional Monarch which works very well for us.
If I were you I'd be more worried about democracy in Argentina, which is still quite new and fragile, especially when you have a government who treats your constitution like an inconvenience instead of a sacred trust of the people.
I don't believe in democracy in the current set-up anyway, certainly I don't think Europe are the USA and other antipodeans have actualy republican demoracy or any other similar, so I could care less how a country is run as long as people's fundamental rights are not trampled.
What planet are you living on? They've already blamed the people for the mass demonstrations.
@8 - Tobias
Oh do tell us what the ideal form of democracy is, all knowing one.
As Churchill once said: Democracy is the worst form of government, after every other form of government, that is.
In other words it isn't perfect, but it's better than the alternatives. There is no such thing as a perfect form of government. Why? Because the human factor always plays a part, and human beings are far from perfect.
However, back to the article. It's good news for Argentina, surely. Do you want to comment on that Tobias, or are you just going to bleat on all the time about how you're the victim and the big bad world is picking on you?
You don't have democracy, republican or otherwise. Your government makes decisions and you can't do squat to stop it.
The Poll Tax (which I agreed with as it may ALL service users pay, not just house owners) did for Mrs. Thatcher;
The Bliar lies did for Tony Blair (eventually),
The expenses abuses did for no end of Members of Parliament from all parties;
And that is only three, but there are not many because of voter apathy, just as in AG.
#10 apparently you only have a real democracy, according to the Tit if the people are in on every decision the government makes......can you see that happening anywhere?
I wonder how the people are involved in every decision the government makes in argentina?
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