Brazil Soy Planting Slows Again
Hot, Dry Weather Continues to Hamper Brazil Soy Planting
SAO PAULO, Brazil (DTN) -- Hot and dry weather returned to Brazil's center-west last week, causing soybean planting to slow and raising concerns about the 2015-16 crop, AgRural, a local farm consultancy, reported.
However, farmers are reaching a stage where they have to plant or risk sowing second-crop corn outside the ideal window. So, despite less-than-ideal soil moisture, many farmers continued planting, betting on the return of precipitation this week.
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Fieldwork advanced 13 percentage points to reach 60% of Brazil's projected soybean area as of Friday, slightly behind last year's tardy planting and 11 percentage points behind the five-year average.
In Mato Grosso, the No. 1 soy state, planting is 77% complete, some 15 points behind the five-year average. Across the northern reaches of the state, there are reports of crops flowering early because of lack of moisture. In Lucas Do Rio Verde, up to 5% of soybeans planted in October must be replanted, AgRural said.
In neighboring Goias state, approximately 66% of projected area has been planted, well back of the 83% five-year average for this stage of the season. Planters were out last week in anticipation of heavier rain this week.
In the south, heavy rain hampered planting efforts. In Rio Grande do Sul, planting is 36% complete, down from a five-year average of 45% and excessive moisture has damaged some crops, which will be replanted.
In Parana, the No. 2, state, the soybean crop is 84% planted and generally looks in excellent shape.
AgRural pegs the 2015-16 soybean crop at 100.2 million metric tons but added that this number is based on average yield projections and will be adjusted in December as the state of the crop in various states becomes clearer.
Alastair Stewart can be reached at alastair.stewart@dtn.com
(CZ/AG)
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