Farmers in Mato Grosso to Increase Soy Acreage 2.5% in 2022/23

Brazilian farmers will start planting their 2022/23 soybean crop in about four months and estimates are already being released concerning Brazil’s next soybean production. The state of Mato Grosso is Brazil’s largest soybean producer and the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) is estimating that the soybean acreage in the state will increase 2.5% in 2022/23 to 11.13 million hectares (27.4 million acres).

Farmers in the state are encouraged by strong prices for soybeans and the products. The increased acreage will come from primarily the conversion of pastures to row crops in the areas where cattle ranching dominates such as northeast, northwest, and northern Mato Grosso.

Imea is estimating the 2022/23 soybean yield in the state at 58.6 sacks per hectare (52.4 bu/ac), which is down 1.2% compared to the last crop. The lower yield is the result of uncertainty concerning the weather and the level of investments by farmers due to the high costs of fertilizers. The 2022/23 soybean crop in Mato Grosso is estimated at 39.48 million tons

One of the biggest costs for converting pastures to row crops is the amount of fertilizers needed. In their native state, most Brazilian soils are very low in fertility and ranchers generally do not heavily fertilize their pastures. Therefore, farmers need to apply agricultural limestone large amounts of phosphorus and potassium to the first crop planted after conversion. That could be a problem this next growing season due to the increased costs of fertilizers.

Tags: Mato Grosso, crop, yield, fertilizers, Imea, estimates, planting, Brazil, prices, soybean, Production