Imea Lowers Mato Grosso’s Safrinha Corn Production

In their eight assessment of the corn crop in Mato Grosso, the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) lowered their estimate of the 2021/22 safrinha corn production. They cited dry weather during the month of April as the reason for the lower estimate. Mato Grosso is the largest safrinha corn producing state in Brazil responsible for approximately 45% of Brazil’s safrinha corn production.

Imea is now estimating the statewide safrinha corn yield at 103.8 sacks per hectare (99.0 bu/ac) which is down 3.2% from their last estimate. The safrinha corn acreage is estimated at 6.31 million hectares (15.5 million acres) which is up 8.1% compared to last year. The total corn production in the state is estimated at 39.3 million tons, which is down 2.9% compared to last month, but still up 20.8% compared to last year.

An estimated 82% of the safrinha corn was planted within the ideal planting window and the early planted corn is expected to have the highest yields. The later planted corn has been impacted more by the dry weather and is expected to have the lowest yields. The biggest impact of dry weather has been in the south-central and western regions of the state.

Imea’s production estimate may move lower again next month because the forecast for May is not encouraging. The meteorological firm TempoCampo is forecasting May rainfall of 10 mm to 25 mm across the state (0.4 inches to 1.0 inch) with the heaviest amounts across the northern part of the state where the soil moisture is adequate. Lower rainfall amounts are forecasted for the southern part of the state where the soil moisture is the driest.

Tags: Brazil, estimate, Production, Mato Grosso, dry weather, yield, safrinha corn, Imea