I have started planting soya bean crops with a target of 1500ha. As a country, the forecast this year is an area covering up to 13.5% of Argentina’s soya bean land, with a projected 18.7m ha.

To ensure the best yields, soils must retain at least 80% of their total water storage capacity before drilling. Having the correct recovery of soil fertility and organic matter from the previous crop is also essential. These two points influence the variety type and planting date, which fit the season best.

For next season, we are forecasting drought conditions due to La Nina. Therefore, we need to think about strategies to combat drought, selecting longer-cycle varieties. Climate projections are complicated, but the drought two years ago was painful for the soya crop.

While production costs are rising, external soya prices are high and still rising [externally US$450/t (£275/t)], but our government retentions mean that for us, the market price we anticipate is around US$300/t (£185/t), which is still good compared with forecasts a year ago. But the peso is projected to fall against the dollar and has done this past year. This is good for output price, but bad for costs. Producers like myself should make selling decisions now because we have a situation where the input-output ratio is the most advantageous we have seen for some years.

Finally, last month I welcomed an agriculture investment visit from a group of seven British farmers, organised by Brown & Co. We took a five-day tour through rural areas of Salta’s province in north-west Argentina where we were able to visit and exchange views with the owners of farms, from intensive production of vegetables and tobacco to successful models of extensive livestock and agriculture. With land ranging from US$350 to $3000/ha (£215-£1840) and the world looking at South America’s ability to keep increasing production, there are real investment opportunities here.