Jun 28, 2019
Parana Farmers Planting Wheat and Harvesting Safrinha Corn
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Parana in southern Brazil have been busy planting their winter wheat crop and harvesting their safrinha corn. Reuters recently reported that the winter wheat planting in the state is now 91% complete according to the Department of Rural Economics (Deral). Wheat planting advanced four points over the prior week, which is about normal for this time of the year. The state had been dry for about 2-3 weeks and farmers were getting concerned, but the state did receive a very welcomed rain two days ago.
The wheat crop in Parana is rated 95% in good condition and the crop is 6% flowering. Parana is the largest wheat producing state in Brazil and Deral is estimating that the state will produce 3.23 million tons of wheat in 2019, which is more than half of Brazil's total wheat production.
The safrinha corn harvest in Parana advanced 13% last week to 34% complete. The harvest is ahead of the normal pace because the corn was planted earlier than normal and the recent dry weather accelerated the dry down of the corn. Rain over the next few days will slow the harvest, but they are not expected to cause any major concerns.
Deral is estimating the safrinha corn production at 13.4 million tons, which would represent approximately 19% of Brazil's safrinha corn production. The state of Mato Grosso is the largest safrinha corn producing state in Brazil with approximately 42% of Brazil's production.