SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) — The absence of rain in the middle of October is threatening crop potential in Mato Grosso, Brazil’s top soybean-growing state, as producers struggle to plant on schedule.
Ricardo Tomczyk, head of the state’s Aprosoja farm lobby, said planting in Mato Grosso, which accounts for 30 percent of Brazil’s soybean crop, has been stalled at around eight percent of the total planned area since mid-month.
“We should have reached 20 or 30 percent of the area at this point,” he said Oct. 15.
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“Dry weather is disrupting our planning, and it could reduce yields.”
Brazil should harvest a record soybean crop of 94 million tonnes this season, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates published before the latest dry period. If confirmed, USDA figures indicate Brazil will once more be the world’s largest soybean exporter, slightly ahead of the United States.
Soybean seeding starts in mid-September in the country’s centre-west grain belt, as soon as spring rain arrives and provides enough soil moisture. Harvesting usually begins as early as January and speeds up in February and March.
