BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Weather issues negatively impacted Argentina’s expected wheat output for the 2020-21 marketing year, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA expects Argentina’s wheat production to fall to 17.4 million tonnes for the 2020-21 marketing year due to dry La Niña weather conditions, which are expected to cause losses for the next few months.

Wheat exports for the 2019-20 marketing are expected to close in November at 13.1 million tonnes, including flour.

The country’s corn production is projected to slip 48 million tonnes in the 2020-21 marketing year due to a reduction of planted area and yield. With a smaller corn crop expected, the USDA anticipates a decrease in exports of the commodity to 33 million tonnes.

Low water levels have taken a toll on Argentina’s rice planted area and in turn total production.  The 2020-21 marketing year rice production outlook decreased 5% to 1.2 million tonnes, according to the USDA.

Unlike the other commodities, Argentina’s sorghum production increased 8% as China’s demand for it ramps up. The USDA expects sorghum’s 2020-21 marketing year production to total 2.6 million tonnes. Sorghum’s exports are expected to hit one million tonnes, the highest since the 2013-14 marketing year.