Nov 24, 2020
Dryness Delays 2020/21 Soybean Planting in Northern Uruguay
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The dry weather that has impacted southern Brazil has also impacted Uruguay as well, especially the northern part of the state. The two main soybean growing regions of Uruguay are in the western part of the country along the border with Argentina and the northern part of the country along the border with the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. In fact, many of the soybean producers in northern Uruguay are Brazilians who moved across the border to Uruguay in search of cheaper land.
Soybeans need to be planted earlier in northern Uruguay than in other parts of the country, but dry conditions are delaying the planting. There have been some rains across the country, but not enough to offset the moisture deficits.
Uruguay is not a big soybean producer accounting for about 2.0 million tons of production compared to 132 million in Brazil and 49 million in Argentina. More rain will be needed even to maintain the current 2 million ton projection.