BUENOS AIRES, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Argentina's main farm areas benefited from good weather last week and over the weekend, helping growers advance soy planting that has been delayed by months of heavy rain and flooding, a meteorologist said on Monday.
But the Pampas has been hit by storms since August, raising concerns about supplies at a time of low world food stocks.
After what some climate specialists described as an early arrival of the El Nino effect this year, which tends to bring rain to Argentina and southern Brazil, farmers saw their planting equipment bog down in mushy topsoils.
"Over the weekend there was some rain in some parts of the province of Buenos Aires, but it was not very intense and really did not cause any significant disruption," he added.
According to the National Weather Service (SMN), scattered showers will bring between 10 and 40 millimeters of water in Argentina's two main grains provinces of Buenos Aires and Cordoba by Wednesday.
The Argentine government says the country can produce 55 million to 58 million tonnes of soybeans this season if the weather cooperates.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects Argentina to harvest 55 million tonnes of soy, 11.5 million tonnes of wheat and 28 million tonnes of corn in the current 2012/13 crop year.
Sharp food price increases have serious implications for the global economy, driving up inflation at a time when consumers in many developed countries are struggling with rising unemployment.
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