by PressSowing of legume crops has begun in Argentina
Sowing of legume crops: predictions for future harvests
Sowing of legume crops has started in Argentina. The area occupied by beans remains the same as last year. Farmers are hoping that the weather will be favorable, which will allow them to carry out the sowing campaign on the scheduled date.
There were heavy rains in December and January throughout Argentina, which experts say should have a favorable effect on the germination of seeds.
Last year was not a good one for the bean and chickpea crops. Prolonged drought prevented the crop from developing properly, and the harvest was much lower than expected and of poor quality.
That said, Argentina has every chance to further increase its presence on the world market. As a result of the pandemic, the demand for crops increased dramatically and local products became of interest to buyers from different countries. This allowed Argentina to increase exports to Brazil, Eastern European countries, Chile and Colombia. In 2020, the country sold 160 thousand tons of white beans, about 170 thousand tons of black beans and 60 thousand tons of colored beans. Export supplies of chickpeas amounted to 130 thousand tons, and dry peas — 50 thousand tons. Now the cost of a ton of white beans ranges from $1,200 to $1,380 on FOB terms. The exact price depends on the caliber of beans. At the same time Argentina has sold out all stocks of colored varieties. The first crop of white beans of caliber 185 is 1200-1220 dollars per ton.
Experts note that the Argentine Chamber of Grain Legumes introduces all new programs to promote the use of these crops among the local population. Some of these activities have already yielded results — for the past 4 years there has been an increase in the consumption of beans and chickpeas on the domestic market. At the same time, Argentinians traditionally have lentils and peas in their diet.
Argentine barley shows good export performance. Against the background of declining supplies from Australia, China has turned its attention to grain from this country. In this regard, experts predict that this year the volume of barley sales by Argentina to China will be more than 1 million tons. According to official data from the Ministry of Agriculture, contracts for the supply of 1.1 million tons of crops have already been signed, most of which will be shipped to China. In addition, Beijing is expected to buy an additional 400,000 tons of Argentine barley in the next few months. Last year, exports to China amounted to 298 thousand tons, which was a record for Buenos Aires.
Previously, the main market for Argentina was Saudi Arabia, but due to the decline in grain exports from Australia to China, the Saudis switched to Australian barley, reducing supplies from the South American country.