Soyabean production estimates in Brazil have been reduced by 11.3M tonnes due to droughts in the south of the country, local consultancy Agrural was quoted as saying in an AgriCensus report.
Previously estimated at a record level of 144M tonnes, Brazil’s soyabean crop had now been reduced to133.4M tonnes, the report said.
“High temperatures and droughts that have been predominant in the south of Brazil and southern Mato Grosso do Sul since November have hit the soyabean crop harshly,” Agrural said.
“[The reduced estimate is] based on an average yield of 54.8 bags/ha, the lowest since the 2015/16 crop,” the consultancy added.
Agrural said the heaviest losses to date had been reported in the state of Paraná and yield prospects had also been cut in the southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
“Rains and milder temperatures are necessary immediately to prevent further estimate cuts [in Rio Grande do Sul],” Agrural said.
Yield estimates in Mato Grosso do Sul had also been reduced due to low rainfall volumes in the southern parts of the state, although expected losses were much less severe than in southern states, the report said.
Meanwhile, crop development conditions remained favourable in the rest of the country, with high yields expected in Brazil’s main producer Mato Grosso where harvesting had already begun.
