QUERENCIA, Brazil (Reuters) — Farmers in Brazil’s top soybean growing state have not seen their yields improve for more than a decade, even as older agricultural states farther south squeeze larger crops from smaller parcels of land.
Mato Grosso, which is responsible for one-third of Brazil’s soy output, is harvesting another record crop this year, thanks to expansion in planted area.
However, its lagging productivity could start limiting potential output in Brazil when new fields are no longer available.
“Ten years ago, we were told we would be harvesting an average 70 bags per hectare (28 bags per acre),” said farmer Vilson Rockembach in Querencia, a town in northeastern Mato Grosso where farmers are achieving yields of 22 bags per acre this season.
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Government data shows the state’s yields rose only three percent over 14 years, while productivity jumped 46 percent in the far southern state of Rio Grande do Sul and 15 percent in Parana, another southern state.
Specialists point to multiple reasons, and farmers question new genetically modified seed varieties that are supposed to control pests as well as boost productivity.
“The conventional seeds I have planted for the past 12 years are getting the best yields this year,” said Neuri Wink, who has farmed in Querencia for two decades.
Mato Grosso’s soybean farmers are now coaxing two annual crops from the state’s tropical soil: one of soybeans and another of corn or occasionally cotton. “Second crop” corn produced in the state increased 12-fold in the past 15 years.
As a result, farmers want to harvest soybeans as quickly as possible so that they can plant their second crops, which has potential consequences for soy yields, said Alexandre Cattelan of the state-run farm research institute Embrapa.
“Because they want very short-cycle seeds, much of the time they aren’t using varieties with the best productivity,” he said.
Farmers in southern Brazil started migrating north to Mato Grosso 40 years ago, lured by seemingly endless land and more frequent rainfall. The area planted with soybeans in the state has tripled since 2000-01.
The rain pattern reversed this year with parts of the south receiving above-average rainfall, accentuating the variance in productivity.
Soil quality in parts of Mato Grosso is also considered inferior to the south, especially on the newest farms, many of which were recently used to graze cattle.
“New farms in the first year, when soil correction has not had the proper impact, drag down average yields,” said Nery Ribas, technical director of the Mato Grosso farm association Aprosoja.
Stagnant yields are not merely hurting the pride of Mato Grosso’s farmers but could also soon hurt their wallets in a season where the cost of importing seeds and fertilizers is skyrocketing while international soy prices fall.
