Aug 04, 2016
Corn Harvest in Mato Grosso do Sul reaches 38%, Yields Disappoint
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The news about Brazil's second crop of corn continues to be bleak. Farmers in Mato Grosso do Sul have harvested 38% of their safrinha corn crop according to the System of Agribusiness Geographic Information (Siga MS) and the total corn production is expected to decline 32% compared to last year.
Siga MS estimates that the corn is 46% harvested in the northern part of the state, 28% harvested in central regions, and 39% harvested in southern regions.
The statewide corn yield is estimated at 59.9 sacks per hectare (55.3 bu/ac), which is down 32% compared to last year's yield of 88.3 sacks per hectare (81.5 bu/ac). The total corn production in the state is now estimated at 6.2 million tons, which is down from last year's production of 9.1 million tons.
The corn crop in the state was beset by a series of weather problems during most of the growing season. The weather was very wet during much of the growing season especially in the southern part of the state, while the northern part of the state was excessively dry. The corn in the southern regions was then hit by a series of freezing temperatures before the crop had matured. Siga MS estimates that 208,000 hectares of the total 1,740,000 hectares planted in the state were negatively impacted by the freezing temperatures.
Mato Grosso do Sul is just the latest Brazilian state to report very disappointing safrinha corn results. Farmers across central Brazil are reporting very low yields due to hot and dry conditions, while the corn in southern Brazil was severely impacted by the freezing temperatures.