Argentina exchange cuts 2023/24 corn harvest estimates on leafhopper plague

Argentina’s Rosario grains exchange lowered its estimate for this season’s corn harvest despite a rise in the planting area, as the leafhopper insect has heavily hit the crop. The leafhopper, which carries a stunt disease that damages the cobs and kernels of the plant, has ruined around 20% of the corn crop this season, the exchange said, while cutting its harvest estimate for 2023/24 to 47.5 million metric tons from 50 million tons. The downgrade comes even as more fields in Argentina’s core agricultural region were found to be growing corn, the exchange said, bringing the total planting area up to a record 8.89 million hectares. Under normal conditions, Argentina’s corn crop should have topped 61 million tons, the exchange said. The exchange also held its estimate for the current soybean harvest at 50.0 million tons, though it cautioned harvesting has been delayed by rains and high humidity. With the soybean reaping delayed and the corn harvest brought in early due to the ...