By Maximilian Heath
Buenos Aires (Reuters) – Argentina's agricultural heartland has been slammed by heavy rain in recent days, recording some soybean fields in some areas and recording up to 400 mm (15.75 inches) of precipitation in some areas, bringing widespread flooding.
Cereal farmer Martin Vivanco told Reuters by phone on Monday that in rural areas 100 kilometers (62.14 miles) west of the capital Buenos Aires, cereal farmer Martin Vivanco told Reuters by phone on Monday.
“Some farmland in the lower area is completely covered with water and is difficult to harvest. Some people have even lost their farm.”
Argentina is the world's highest exporter of soybean oil and soybean meals, and is also the No. 3 exporter of corn.
According to Heinzenknecht, a meteorologist who applied climate consulting, the precipitation is about three to four times that of May, which has caused farmers to worry that soybean and corn crops could suffer significant losses.
Heinzenknecht said heavy rains from Thursday to Saturday have increased showers in recent months.
“The amount of water that is dropped is absolutely ridiculous,” Heinzenckett said. “Even if it rains only 150mm, we're still facing flooding.”
Farmers face delays in harvesting current soybean crops due to wetlands and muddy roads. Delaying harvest can cause crop development diseases or seed pods to open, which can also cause losses.
According to farmer Esteban Plazibat, in Salto, another agricultural area north of Buenos Aires, the storm flooded 171,000 hectares of water and 330 millimeters.
“I have Silobags and I know I'll have problems. I have them in high places, but this time even the high places are flooded,” he explained, adding that the flooding also affected chicken and pig farms in the area.
Silobags are large bags farmers can use to store more than 200 tons of soybeans. These bags are widely used in Argentina and can be seen in fields across the country.
Given that the water in the soil has been delayed, soybeans that have not yet been harvested are also risky. Major delays mean potential losses due to crop diseases or field openings.
Although corn is more tolerant to water, Vivanco explains that some fields have water levels above one meter, which may affect plant development.
Farmers Association Carbap shows images of underwater and impassable farm roads on social media platforms.
Heavy rains have also caused flooding in certain cities in Buenos Aires, where locals must be evacuated.
Prior to the recent rainfall, the Buenos Aires Cereal Exchange estimated that current soybean crops reached 50 million tons and corn crops reached 49 million tons, respectively. Both crops are in the harvest stage.
“Everything is affected. It's not the same as anything we've seen before,” Vivanco said.
(Reported by Maximilian Heath; Written by Kylie Madry and Rafael Escalera Montoto; Edited by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez, Jan Harvey and Aurora Ellis)
