Aug 25, 2015
Soybean Harvest Starting in Far Northern Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
No, that was not a typo, the early soybean harvest is underway in the state of Roraima in far northern Brazil and it will accelerate in September. The state of Roraima is the northern most state in Brazil and is located in the Northern Hemisphere. It is between the Amazon River and Venezuela, putting it north of the Equator.
The soybeans are grown in the cerrado region of the state and the rainfall pattern in that part of Brazil is very different than in the rest of the country. While the rest of Brazil is in the midst of its annual dry season, in Roraima it rains during this time of the year and the growing season in the state is the same as in the United States - they plant soybeans in May and harvest in September.
Soybean production is very small in the state and in their latest report, Conab estimated the total production at approximately 80,000 tons. Soybeans produced in the state are either trucked to ports on the Amazon River or trucked into Venezuela. The soybean production in the state is small, but it is growing due to cheap land values and relatively low transportation costs.