MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina planting an additional million hectares of wheat this winter

Minister Buryaile said the area planted with wheat will reach 5.3 million hectares, a million more than the previous harvest.

Argentina is planting an additional one million of hectares with wheat this austral winter, taking the total area to 5.3 million hectares, spurred by the end of export duties and quotas, and a floating exchange rate, according to the Agro/Industry ministry in Buenos Aires.

 “The government has kept its promises, and we asked farmers to responds with a strong wheat crop and this is happening” said minister Ricardo Buryaile, who added that with an end to export duties, quotas and a free exchange rate, “the area planted will reach 5.3 million hectares, a million more than the previous harvest”.

The increase in the wheat area means an investment of 380 million dollars over the last season and this is because “the cereal exports doubled in the first six months of the year compared to the same period a year ago”.

Likewise, “this resurfacing of confidence will have an immediate effect for the interior of the country”, said Buryaile who anticipated that “wheat is back, a significant player in the world grains' market”.

Argentine wheat shipments totaled 5.6 million tons in the first five months of this year, compared to 2.8 million tons in the same period last year, and the 4.4m tons for the whole 2014/15 harvest.

Finally the release points out that sowing wheat helps with the rotation of harvests, which is essential to balance the soil, recover exhausted nutrients plus a most positive impact for the environment.