Early Corn Planting Starting Slowly in Southern Brazil

Farmers in southern Brazil have started to plant their 2022/23 first corn crop while they finish harvesting their 2021/22 safrinha corn crop. AgRural reported late last week that 5.1% of the new corn crop had been planted and that 94% of the safrinha corn had been harvested.

In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, farmers have planted approximately 8-10% of their corn and Emater estimates that they will plant 831,700 hectares of corn (2.05 million acres) or an increase of 5.9% compared to last year. Emater is estimating the 2022/23 corn yield at 7,337 kg/ha (116.6 bu/ac) which represents an increase of 90% compared to last year.

Farmers in the state are hoping to recuperate from last year’s disastrous corn crop which resulted from record hot and dry conditions. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is also trying to help farmers by promoting increased corn production. The state always runs a deficit of corn forcing livestock producers to import corn from central Brazil or Argentina at an increased cost.

The Department of Rural Economics in the state of Parana (Deral) reported earlier this week that farmers in the state had planted 7% of their 2022/23 first corn crop and that 90% of the corn was germinating and 10% was in vegetative development. Deral estimates that farmers will plant 406,446 hectares of corn (1.0 million acres) by the time planting concludes in several months. Farmers are reducing their first corn acreage due to increased input costs and problems with corn leafhoppers, which caused significant damage to last year’s crop.

Farmers in the state of Santa Catarina are in the early stages of planting their 2022/23 corn and farmers are expected to reduce their corn acreage due to the higher costs of inputs and potential damage from corn leafhoppers. Some of the corn acreage will be switched to soybeans instead which are cheaper to plant and generate higher returns than corn.

Tags: plant, Brazil, Production, yield, safrinha corn crop, first corn crop