23 February 2022, 07:36, World

Brazil farmers complete 33% of soybean harvest

Brazil’s farmers had harvested 33% of the country’s soybean area as of Thursday, against 24% a week earlier and 15% by the same time last year, but still faced widespread weather-related issues, Successful Farming writes.

The top grain-producing state of Mato Grosso has been hit by excessive rain, hurting soybean quality, while Brazil’s southernmost states have been affected by hot, dry weather recently.

AgRural forecasts Brazil’s 2021/22 soybean crop at 128.5 mln t, down 17 mln t from its initial forecast, but a new revision is expected in the coming days.

Conab cut its forecast for soybean production in Brazil by 15 mln t its February Crop Report.

On corn, the consultancy said the planting of Brazil’s second crop reached 53% of the area in the Center-South, well ahead of the 24% a year ago. However, fieldwork was also affected by excessive showers in Mato Grosso and by drought in the southern state of Paraná.

Second corn is sowed after soybeans are harvested in the same areas, accounting for 70% to 75% of the overall annual output.

Soybean production in Ukraine in 2021/22 totalled 3.43 mln t, the crop yielded 2.68 t/ha on average.