News In Brief:
– Recent heavy rains in Argentina pose a significant threat to soy and corn crops, jeopardising harvests and causing widespread damage to farmland.
– Excessive precipitation and hailstorms have led to flooded fields, yield losses, and urban chaos, with both agricultural and urban areas facing severe challenges from the ongoing deluge.
Recent torrential rains sweeping across Argentina are wreaking havoc on the nation’s vital soy and corn crops, posing significant challenges for local farmers. The unrelenting downpours, surpassing normal levels, are proving particularly destructive to agricultural heartlands such as Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, and Buenos Aires.
According to a report by German Heinzenknecht of Applied Climatology Consulting (CCA), these regions face severe repercussions from the excessive rainfall, dampening farmland and exacerbating existing woes.
Within 24 hours alone, the core agricultural zones were deluged with rainfall ranging from 15 to 50 millimeters, with forecasts predicting further storms throughout last Wednesday.
Marina Barletta, an analyst at the Rosario grains exchange, highlights the dire situation, pointing out areas witnessing over 300 millimeters of rain this March, leading to flooded soybean lots.
Implications for Argentina’s harvest
The timing of these rains couldn’t be worse, coinciding with the commencement of corn harvesting and impending soybean harvest. Projections by the Rosario exchange estimating a soy harvest of 50 million tons and corn at 57 million tons now appear threatened by these adverse weather conditions, as both the CCA and the exchange caution against potential yield losses.
The impacts are already tangible, with delayed soy harvests and heightened humidity risking pod opening and bean loss. Additionally, regions have been battered by hailstorms, resulting in flattened crops and substantial agricultural losses. Witness accounts from affected areas, like the Buenos Aires town of 25 de Mayo, paint a grim picture of devastation and ruin.
Beyond agricultural concerns, urban areas like Buenos Aires are grappling with their own share of chaos, with unprecedented rainfall triggering flooding, infrastructure damage, and travel disruptions. Images circulating in the media depict submerged highways, waterlogged streets, and the aftermath of collapsed structures, underscoring the widespread impact of the deluge.
