Argentina may not import phosphate fertilizers until July as demand has reduced significantly due to a tremendous drought and a continuing rift between farmers and the government, a source said on Tuesday. Wheat planting was expected to reach 3.5m hectares in 2009, the lowest level in 100 years, the source said on the sidelines of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) conference. Farmers were unwilling to invest in fertilizers as they were in a precarious financial situation due to a lack of credit combined with a drought that started last year, the source said. The government’s introduction of an export tax, which had been rigorously opposed by farmers, would also affect wheat prices, the source said. As a result, farmers were even more uncertain about the wheat production. The imports of phosphates could resume in July but it would greatly depend on when the drought ends, the source added.