Brazil soybean harvest starts in two states; drought hurts Parana yields
Brazilian soybean farmers have started to reap their crop in the states of Parana and Mato Grosso, with an overall 0.2% of the country’s planted area already harvested, according to agribusiness consultancy AgRural on Monday.
At the same time last year, the harvest had not yet started because planting had also been delayed.
The work commenced amid drought and high temperatures in southern Brazil, which led to a sharp drop in 2021/2022 soybean crop estimates from private consultancies last week.
On Tuesday, Brazil’s food supply and statistics agency Conab will release its first estimate for the new crop in the new year.
In Parana, the work is progressing in the west and southwest, the regions most affected by the dry weather that is hurting yields. On some fields, farmers are collecting a meager five to 16 60-kilo bags per hectare on average, AgRural said.
In Mato Grosso, Brazil’s top grain grower, the work is mostly being carried out in the west and mid-north — and the first reports are of good yields, AgRural said.
At the same time, in a few of the areas of Mato Grosso, excess rainfall is threatening crop quality, the consultancy said.
Source: Reuters