Dry conditions continue to slow Brazil's soybean planting season. Although sowing has advanced, forecasts indicate that the rains will remain irregular, and producers may have to work on replanting.
In Mato Grosso, which is the largest producing state and represents more than 30% of national production of soybeans, the acreage has nearly doubled in the last week, according to data from the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (IMEA). Until October 29, 38.03% of the area was sown while, up through October 22, only 19.6% of the area had been planted. It is expected that a total of 9.2 million hectares (22.7 million acres) are planted with soybeans in Mato Grosso in the 2015/2016 crop.
According to Nery Ribas, technical director of the Association of Mato Grosso Soybean Producers (Aprosoja-MT), it is a moment of apprehension. "The inputs are on the farm; there is concern with the planting windows of the second crop, such as corn and cotton. The ideal time for planting soybeans is until late-October, harvest by the end of February, and start the second crop," he said in a statement.
With the sun shining bright, temperatures high, and a lack of moisture, plants have died or been attacked by pests in some crops. Ribas says the cost of production is very high this season, and the producer may still have losses of inputs and unexpected expenses with the replanting. "The producer needs to pay attention to weather forecasts and monitor crops for planting at the right time," says Ribas.
In Parana, the second-largest producing state, the harvest goes well. According to the Department of Rural Economy (Deral), 66% of the area has been planted with soybeans, and 99% of crops are developing well. The estimate is that 5.2 million hectares will be planted with soybeans (approximately 12.8 million acres).
According to estimates by the National Supply Company (Conab), the Brazilian soybean production should be up to 101.9 million tons in the 2015/2016 harvest, compared with production of 96.2 million tonnes in the previous season. The area planted with soybeans can move up 3.6% to 32.64 million hectares (80.6 million acres).
