Feb 18, 2016
Parana Soybeans 41% Harvested, Safrinha Corn 60% Planted
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
According to the Department of Rural Economics in the Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Parana (Deral), farmers in the state have taken advantage of the recent dryer weather to ramp up their soybean harvest which is now 41% complete. Of the soybeans left to be harvested in the state, 82% are rated in good condition, 16% are rated as average, and 2% are rated as poor. Parana is the second largest soybean producing state in Brazil after Mato Grosso.
The director of Deral has indicated that excessive wetness during the pod filling period has resulted in somewhat lower soybean yields than expected. Additionally, the two-week dry period prior to the heavy rains also impacted yields.
In their January assessment, Deral estimated that the state's soybean production would be 18.08 million tons or 7% more than last year. The statewide soybean yield in the January report was estimated at 3,436 kg/ha (49.8 bu/ac), which would be 3% higher than last year. Deral will release their February estimate next week and the director has indicated that he feels the estimate will be slightly lower than their January estimate, but still a very good soybean crop.
The advances in the soybean harvest has allowed farmers to accelerate their safrinha corn planting which is now 60% complete. Deral expects the farmers in the state to plant 2.03 million hectares of safrinha corn with a total production of 11.8 million tons or 2% more than last year.
Farmers in Parana planted 425,400 hectares of full-season corn and 24% of that crop has now been harvested. Of the full-season corn left to harvest in the state, 90% is rated in good condition, 9% is in average condition, and 1% is in poor condition. The full-season corn crop in Parana is expected to produce 3.62 million tons or 22% less than last year. Some corn yields are also expected to be lower than expected also due to the excessive wetness.
Full-season corn acreage in Parana has continued to decline over the past decade as farmers switch more of their corn to safrinha production. In fact, the safrinha corn acreage in Parana (2.03 million hectares) is approximately 4.7 times more than the full-season corn acreage (425,400 hectares). The full-season corn yield this year in Parana is expected to be 8,509 kg/ha (131 bu/ac) while the safrinha corn yield is expected to be 5,812 kg/ha (89.5 bu/ac). Even though safrinha corn has a lower yield, farmers make more money with safrinha corn production because it allows them to plant a first crop of soybeans and then a second crop of corn.