Low Corn Prices Prompt Brazil Farms to Plant More Soy

Soy field in Brazil Fair weather and bigger demand for food from overseas should contribute for Brazil's grain crop that started in August and should last until late July next year to exceed the previous one by up to 6.5 million tons.

The first survey of the 2009/2010 cycle – carried out by the National Food Supply Company (Conab) and disclosed October 7 – estimates a harvest of between 139 million and 141.6 million tons, growth of between 2.9% and 4.8% compared with the 135.1 million tons harvested in the previous crop.

The increase in production is a consequence of the recovery of productivity, taking into consideration that planted area should range from 47.35 million to 48.06 million hectares, a variation of between -0.7% and 0.7% compared with the 2008/2009 cycle, when drought in southern Brazilian states led to significant losses, particularly in corn and soy cultures.

"We are not expecting to have as many weather-related issues as we did last year. This helps to place Brazil closer to the record-high figure of 144.1 million tons," said the president of the Conab, Wagner Rossi, in a press release.

To him, the low market price of corn should lead some of the farmers to replace the grain with soy crops, which may see record-high output.

The Conab estimates that the planted area for soy should grow between 2.6% and 4.2% and may total 22.65 million hectares, nearly half the planted area for grain. The average productivity should increase by 6.3%, totaling 2,794 kilograms per hectare and generating a harvest of between 62.26 million and 63.27 million tons, growth of up to 10.8%.

The survey was conducted from September 14th to 18th in the South, Southeast and Midwest regions of Brazil. In the North and Northeast regions, planting starts in December, therefore the Conab used data pertaining to the previous crop and average productivity for the past five years, not taking atypical years into account.

ABr

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Salmaso’s Eloquent Simplicity

An interpreter whose air of intimacy, unmatched timbre, and unique sense of phrasing entices ...

Brazil to Give Small Businesses Up to US$ 1,900 Loans

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva approved, today, a Provisional Measure (MP) creating ...

Brazilians in London Get Five Years in Jail for Printing Fake Passports

Lucas Fernandez Jesus, 26, and Werleson Rodrigo Ferreira de Oliveira, 25, two Brazilians living ...

May shit be with you

Brazil sure needed an urgent stool test. By Arnaldo Jabor The frogs, Osmar’s mug, ...

Brazil Says Man Accused of Being Pay-Off Scheme Moneyman Was Never Lula’s Consultant

The office of Brazil’s Presidency has released a note denying that adman/businessman Marco Valério ...

Analysts Revise Brazil’s GDP Growth 14th Week in a Row, to Over 7%

Brazilian financial analysts have revised their economic growth projection for this year upwards for ...

Brazil Joins Chile in Scientific Antarctic Expedition

Two Brazilian researchers will take part in the first Latin American scientific expedition to ...

Decades-Long Dream Comes True: Brazil Is Self-Sufficient in Oil

Brazilian oil giant Petrobras is scheduled to announce Friday, April 21, that Brazil has ...

Concrete Jungle

Cariocas (people from Rio) and Paulistas (those from São Paulo) are afraid to visit ...

Recession Fears Knock Down Markets in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina

In Brazil and Latin America markets plunged on Wednesday, October 22, on fears of ...