January 12, 2010

 

Rain soaks Brazil's bumper soy crop

 

 

Wet weather continues to favor Brazil's bumper soy crop, the bulk of which is still a couple months away from being ready for harvest, weather forecaster Somar said on Monday (Jan 11).

 

Mato Grosso and the rest of the central west got healthy rainfall over the weekend and should continue to see ample rains through the week. Despite harvest's having begun in late 2009, much of the state's crop is still maturing.

 

Harvest in Mato Grosso will begin to pick up speed in February and March.

 

The southern soy states of No. 2 producer Parana and No. 3 producer Rio Grande do Sul have been getting lots of rain this season. The two states plant and harvest later than the central west.

 

Rio Grande do Sul has already received 25 more rainfall than it normally gets over the entire month of January. Part of the state's soy growing region got more than 100 mm (3.94 inches) over the weekend alone.

 

"A cold front is between Parana and Sao Paulo states, where it is organising moisture from the Amazon and the result is strong rains in the growing regions of Parana, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso," Somar said in a soy weather bulletin.

 

Rains should turn more isolated in Rio Grandedo Sul and in No. 4 soy producer Goias the rest of this week.

 

In Somar's extended 10-day forecast, rains are expected to continue with force in the south and the western part of the central west, with the most concentrated volumes expected to fall over Parana and Rio Grande do Sul.

 

Rainfall has been average to above average in all of Brazil's main soy growing states so far this planting season, which started in mid-September.

 

Brazil is expected to produce a record soy crop of roughly 63 million to 65 million tonnes this year.

 

The ample moisture over the grain belt has increased outbreaks of diseases such as Asian soy rust but the wet weather is expected to favor the crop more than hurt it, with the bulk of harvest still at least two months off.