Jan 16, 2020
Farmers in Parana Petition for Late Planting of Safrinha Corn
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The production of full-season corn in southern Brazil has been negatively impacted by periods of hot and dry weather since the crop has been planted. This has resulted in strong domestic corn prices, which is good news for corn producers.
Most of the corn production in southern Brazil is safrinha production, which is planted after the first crop of soybeans are harvested, especially in the state of Parana. In order to take advantage of the strong corn prices, farmers in Parana are petitioning the government to allow them to plant their safrinha corn past the ideal planting window specified in the Agriculture Zoning for Climatic Risks (ZARC).
Brazilian farmers must plant their safrinha corn within a certain time frame if they want to qualify for government programs. The problem is that the soybeans were planted 2-3 weeks later than normal, which will make it difficult to plant the safrinha corn before the official planting window closes.
Therefore, the Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Parana along with the Organization of Cooperatives in Parana (Ocepar), and the Agricultural Federation of Parana (Faep) have petitioned the Minister of Agriculture to extend the deadline for planting safrinha corn for an additional 20 days. The later the safrinha corn is planted, the greater the risks that the corn might encounter freezing temperatures before it reaches maturity. Therefore, planting safrinha corn later than normal increases the risks of lower yields.
While strong corn prices are good news for corn producers, it is not good news for livestock producers in southern Brazil who are concerned about tight corn supplies and higher feed costs. Livestock producers in southern Brazil must import corn from central Brazil or neighboring Argentina and Paraguay to meet their needs, so they are in favor of the planting extension so farmers in the region can maximize their corn production.