Feb 20, 2019
Brazil's Safrinha Corn off to an Early Start
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Full-season corn in Rio Grande do Sul - The full-season corn in Rio Grande do Sul is 39% harvested with another 15% ready to harvest. Recent hot and dry weather is reported to have resulting in moisture stress for the later planted corn.
Safrinha corn in Mato Grosso - According to the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea), the safrinha corn in Mato Grosso is 74% planted compared to 46% planted last year and for the 5-year average. This represented an advance of 22% for the week. The most advanced planting is in the mid-north where 83% of the corn has been planted with the slowest in the south-central region where 60% of the corn has been planted.
In the municipality of Sorriso, even though the soybean yields were disappointing, farmers are very encouraged about their safrinha corn production and their safrinha cotton production due to the early planting of the crops. All the cotton has been planted and farmers are finishing their corn planting. Farmers are optimistic about their safrinha corn production because it is being planted during the ideal time.
According to Imea, farmers in Mato Grosso have forward contracted 46% of their anticipated 2018/19 safrinha corn compared to approximately 26% last year at this time. The average price for their forward contracted corn is approximately R$ 20.76 per sack (approximately $2.55 per bushel).
Safrinha corn in Parana - Deral estimated that farmers in the state had planted 47% of the safrinha corn as of a week ago with 93% of the corn rated in good condition.
Safrinha corn in Mato Grosso do Sul - According to Aprosoja-MS, as of a week ago, 20% of the safrinha corn had been planted with 18% planted in the southern region, 21% in central, and 29% in northern areas. They are anticipating a 6% increase in safrinha corn acreage to 1.91 million hectares. They are also anticipating an average yield of 78 sacks per hectare (72 bu/ac). Last year the corn yield was 70 sacks per hectare (64.6 bu/ac) and two years ago it was 88 sacks per hectare (81 bu/ac).
The safrinha corn planting in the municipality of Chapadao do Sul in northeastern Mato Grosso do Sul is over half planted which is 10 to 15 days earlier than normal. The early planting is important because the corn could receive one to two more rains than normal before the end of the rains season and those rains would come at a time when the crop is filling grain.