Jan 19, 2024
Soybeans Being Planted and Harvested at Same Time in Bahia, Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
While some soybean farmers in the state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil have just finished planting their dryland soybeans, others have already started harvesting their irrigated soybeans. Hot and dry weather during October, November, and the first half of December delayed the planting of the dryland soybeans by at least a month or more.
The rainfall improved in western Bahia starting on December 20th, so the dryland soybeans were planted 30-35 days later than normal. According to the Association of Irrigated Agriculture in Bahia (Aiba), planting of the dryland soybeans concluded during the second week of January.
The dryland soybeans are currently in vegetative development with some of the crop starting to flower. Rainfall will be needed on a regular basis through February and March for the dryland soybeans to achieve the expected yield of 60 sacks per hectare (53 bu/ac).
While the dryland soybean planting was delayed, the irrigated soybeans were planted on time last October. In the municipality of Correntina in western Bahia, approximately 10% of the irrigated soybeans have been harvested with the average yield in the range of 80 sacks per hectare (71 bu/ac).
The state is expected to plant approximately 2 million hectares of soybeans in 2023/24, which is approximately 4% of Brazil's total soybean acreage and half of the soybean acreage in northeastern Brazil.