Brazilian soybean planting has been progressing at a very sluggish pace on extremely dry weather across most of the country, agricultural consultancy AgRural said Oct. 5.
Brazilian soybean farmers have managed to plant only 1.6% of the total estimated area until Oct. 1, against 0.7% a week earlier, 3.1% in the same period last year and 4.5% in the five-year average, according to data from AgRural.
Soybean planting delays in Brazil are not expected to affect total crop output for the 2020-21 crop year (September-August) as the late-planted soybean crop receives more rainfall in October and November, which increases the crop’s overall productivity.
Even in 2019, Brazilian soybean planting was delayed by two weeks and the country still managed to produce 126 million mt, an all-time high.
Although Paraná and Mato Grosso – the two states that normally start Brazilian planting soybeans earlier than others – received some rain, the soil moisture remained very low to plant the crop, AgRural said.
Soybean planting requires abundant rainfall and high soil moisture content, while dry weather slows the seedling process.
In Brazil, soybean planting starts in mid-September. But due to extremely dry weather conditions in September, most farmers are waiting for sufficient rainfall in October to begin the sowing process.
However, the weather forecast indicates dry weather to continue in the coming days in Mato Grosso, Brazil’s top soy producer, which could mean further delays in the beans planting, AgRural said.
According to the general consensus among the agricultural analysts, Brazilian soybean is forecast to produce over 133 million mt of soybeans in 2020-21, which will be an all-time high for the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter.
SOURCE: S&P Global
