BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Citing better-than-expected yields, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange has upped its 2021-22 wheat crop estimate for Argentina to 21.5 million tonnes from its previous 21 million tonne forecast, according to a Reuters report.

Soybean and corn crops also will get a boost from better rains in January, weather experts said.

In its Dec. 23 report, Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said the Argentine wheat harvest is 78.3% completed and expected to end in January.

“The national average yield has reached 3.28 tonnes per hectare over the last seven days,” the exchange said. “Sustained improvement in harvested yields allows us to raise our production projection to a new record.”

The exchange left its 57-million-tonne corn and its 44-million-tonne soybean harvest estimates unchanged for the 2021-22 season. It said 73.3% of this year’s expected soy area has been planted so far along with 60.2% of expected corn area.

The dryness that has stressed wide pockets of the normally fertile Pampas farm belt in December should give way to better rains in January, crop weather experts said.

Growers told Reuters they are expecting average to very good soy and corn harvests this season, depending on January rains.

Growers are keeping a close eye on the La Niña climate phenomenon, which usually brings drought to the Pampas. But any La Niña-related dryness this season should disappear by next month, said Cristian Russo, an agronomist at the Rosario grains exchange, which would be good news for corn and soybeans.