South America Calling

Hot, dry conditions allowed soybean harvesting to move forward last week in the Mato Grosso and Parana, Brazil's largest soy-producing states, AgRural, a local farm consultancy, said.

Harvesting of the 2014-15 crop is now 3% complete, on a par with last year, it said.

But all is not going smoothly.

Despite showers falling over the last week, crops in parts of Brazil's northeast, center-west and southeast still need much more rain.

Unless that rain arrives, AgRural will be forced to lower its Brazilian crop estimate of 95 million metric tons (mmt) in February, it said in a report.

In Piaui and Bahia, in the northeast, last week it rained after a long dry spell, but volumes were small. With crops in reproductive phases, the crops are very susceptible in these regions.

In Goias, early-planted crops look in good condition, but later-planted crops need more rain.

In Mato Grosso, more rain would also be welcome across the state, although significant losses have not yet been recorded, said the consultancy. The harvest in the top-producing state is 7% complete.

Alastair Stewart can be reached at alastair.stewart@dtn.com

(AG)

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