June 3, 2008

Cyclone not seen damaging southern Brazilian crops

A tropical cyclone due to hit the southern Brazilian states Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina is unlikely to affect any crops as most major grains have already been harvested, said Odilone DaCosta, an agronomist at Rio Grande do Sul's rural assistance agency, Emater.

"The area where this storm is supposed to hit has already harvested rice and soy, and there's just a little bit of corn left at this point," DaCosta said.

"Wheat has not even been planted yet," DaCosta said of northern Rio Grande do Sul, where a cyclone is expected to reach landfall on Tuesday, dumping heavy windswept rains with wind gusts of up to 63 miles per hour.

"Whatever new crop is in the ground now has probably not even germinated yet, so this cyclone would not be a crop destroyer," said Elcio Bento, a commodities analyst at Safras & Mercado.

Two cyclones hit Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states in May, according to Inmet, the National Weather Service. In early May, cyclones led to heavy flooding and power outages.

Cyclones are common at this time of year in southern Brazil.