Apr 07, 2022
Good Weather Benefits Safrinha Corn in Paraguay
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Paraguay increased their 2021/22 safrinha corn acreage in the hope of compensating for a dismal 2021/22 soybean crop. Paraguay suffered one of the hottest and driest soybean growing seasons in memory. At the start of the growing season, Paraguay was expected to produce at least 10.0 million tons of soybeans, but in the end, Paraguay will produce 5.0 million tons of soybeans or less.
When the soybean harvest was wrapping up in February, the weather started to improve. The rains became more frequent and the record high temperatures abated. The weather during March was excellent for the safrinha corn development and the forecast looks promising as well.
Some farmers waited to plant their safrinha corn until the soil moisture was recharged enough to guarantee germination and stand establishment of the safrinha corn. Most of the corn is currently in vegetative development with some of the earliest planted corn starting to pollinate.
Currently, the USDA is estimating that farmers in Paraguay will plant 825,000 hectares of safrinha corn in 2021/22 (2.03 million acres), which is up 14.5% compared to the prior year. According to the consulting firm Consultoria TF Agroeconomiea, it is possible that the total 2021/22 corn crop in Paraguay could be as large as 6.0 million tons, which would be a new record high production surpassing the previous record of 5.0 million tons set in 2018/19.
The one thing that could derail the corn crop would be a killing frost before the corn has a chance to mature. That is what happened last growing season and farmers certainly hope there will not be a repeat.