Argentine agriculture ministry officials are currently in China for the latest round of talks on starting corn, beef, wine, biofuels and barley sales to the Asian giant.

While Argentina's initial corn sales to China are expected to be relatively small, "we're dealing with a key market that will be open for the future," Solis said.

The agriculture ministry has forecast corn production for the 2010-11 season at 21.6 million metric tons, one of the largest crops on record.

Argentina’s corn plantings are expected to expand during the 2011-12 season at the expense of soybeans due to the relative profits between the country's top crops, Solis said.

He said corn plantings for 2011-12 are likely to be about 6 million hectares, while soybean plantings should run about 18 million hectares.

During the 2010-11 season, Argentine producers planted 18.7 million hectares soybeans, while corn area reached 4.34 million hectares, according to the agriculture ministry.

Source: brockreport.com