By Miguel Lo Bianco
BENITO JUAREZ, Argentina, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Diego Ugrotte, like many other Argentine farmers, is wrapping up what could be described as a near-perfect wheat season.
The 51-year-old farmer from the southern part of the Buenos Aires province, Ugrotte examines his wheat plants near the steady roar of a combine harvester combing through his fields. The verdict is hard to argue with: this one turned out exceptionally well.
"We knew it was going to be a good harvest, but not to the extreme
of the figures we ended up with," said the farmer from the town of Benito Juarez, about 400 kilometers south of the Argentine capital.
With the country's two main grain exchanges estimating the 2025/26 wheat harvest at a record between 27.1 and 27.7 million tons, the farmer's words resonate not only in his region, the wheat heartland of the country, but throughout Argentina.
With only a few hectares left to harvest, production is expected to exceed the country's record wheat harvest of 22.2 million tons for the 2021/22 season by up to 25%, according to official data.
A hot, dry day in the austral summer is helping wrap up the harvest on Ugrotte’s farm, where he has been working since he was 17.
IDEAL SEASON
Argentina, one of the world's top grains suppliers, relies on the agricultural sector to generate foreign currency.
Dry conditions have smoothed the path for combines on rural roads and across fields nationwide, after Argentina enjoyed almost ideal weather at every stage of wheat development, resulting in what the Rosario Grain Exchange described as "unprecedented" yields for the crop.
"There were low temperatures in the winter when the crop was in its vegetative stage, which is what it needs. Then it had a period of very regular rainfall that resulted in good tillering, good ear development, and finally, excellent grain filling," said Ugrotte.
According to the producer, in Benito Juarez only 20% to 30% of the wheat area remains unharvested, marking the end of an "excellent" season. Nationally, just 13% of the planted area remains unharvested, according to the latest government data.
And while producers are bagging their last batches of wheat, in adjacent fields, Argentine soybeans and corn are nearing maturity, also with good prospects according to Ugrotte.
"For the main crops, the weather has also been cooperating" he said. "The main crops harvest still depend on what happens with January rains, but the outlook looks good."
(Reporting by Miguel Lo Bianco, Writing by Maximial Heath and Natalia Siniawski)
