Brazil soybean harvest hits 77%, corn at 60%: Agrural

The Brazil soybean harvest progressed six percentage points on the week to bring it inline with the five-year average, according to a report published by consultants Agrural Friday.

However, progress remains behind this time last year when 82% of the planted acreage had been harvested.

In Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo the harvest is already finished, while the states of Rondonia (99%), Goias (96%) and Minas Gerais (94%) are nearing completion.

The southern states see the biggest lag as harvesting was delayed this week due to rains, with farmers gathering “the soybeans wet, to try to avoid problems with broken grains,” the Brazil-based consultants said.

The harvest reached 84% in Parana, 40% in Santa Catarina and 25% in Rio Grande do Sul.

The first corn harvest jumped nine percentage points this week, to reach 60%, but still lags last year, when it was at 70% and to the five-year average of 67%.

The lag is mainly due to slow harvesting in the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais, where plantings were delayed due to rains at the start of the season, while the harvest in Parana is already at 88%, in line with historical averages.

Brazil’s second corn crop is developing well thanks to frequent rainfalls and “continues to develop without major mishaps in the Centre-South of Brazil.”

However, rains have to continue during April and May to ensure good yields.