Feb 01, 2017
Farmers in Paraguay Expecting Mixed Results from their Soybeans
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The 2016/17 soybean crop in Paraguay is expected to have mixed results. In some areas of the country, the crop is expected to yield better than last year, while in other areas, recent dry weather may result in disappointing yields.
Farmers in eastern Paraguay are concerned that recent dry weather will impact their soybean yields. In the department of Alto Parana, the recent hot and dry conditions might result in as much as a 20% reduction in soybean yields according to a member of the Coordination of Agriculture in Paraguay (CAP). The month of January has been dryer than normal and the last two weeks have been especially hot and dry. The adverse conditions are occurring just as the soybeans are filling pods, which it the most sensitive period for moisture stress.
Farmers in the area had expected a record soybean crop, but that may not happen if there is not significant rain soon. The earliest planted soybeans were already maturing when the dry weather set in, and therefore, they were not impacted by the dry conditions. There are good yields being reported for the earliest planted soybeans with excellent seed quality. The soybeans that were planted in October are currently the ones being impacted the most by the dry weather.
In other areas of Paraguay, the rainfall has been more regular and the yields are expected to be in the range of 50 sacks per hectare or 43.5 bu/ac, which would be better than last year. According to the Grain and Oilseed Exporters Association of Paraguay (Capeco), the nationwide soybean yield in Paraguay last year was 46 sacks per hectare or 40.0 bu/ac.