Safrinha Corn 49% Harvested in Mato Grosso, Brazil

The safrinha corn in Brazil was 28.3% harvested as of late last week compared to 44.6% last year and 35.9% average according to Patria AgroNegocios. This represents an advance of 11% for the week. The state of Mato Grosso leads the way at 49% harvested and Mato Grosso is projected to produce about half of Brazil’s 2022/23 safrinha corn.

The safrinha corn in Mato Grosso was 49% harvested as of late last week compared to 74% last year and 59% average according to the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea). This represents an advance of 16% for the week. The most advanced harvest is in the mid-north region where 66% of the corn has been harvested.

Rainfall during the 2022/23 growing season through June in the city of Sinop in northern Mato Grosso was 1,475 mm (59 inches), which was one of the highest amounts in recent years. The January-February-March period is the most critical time for safrinha corn and the rainfall during January was 424 mm (16.9 inches), February was 502 mm (20.0 inches), March was 348 mm (13.9 inches). Rainfall during April and May diminished, but the earlier planted safrinha corn was advanced in its development and there was ample soil moisture.

In mid-April, the soil moisture in Sinop was at its maximum capacity. Rainfall declined during the second half of April, but rain in early May helped to recharge the soil moisture. This contrasts with the 2021/22 growing season when the rains ended in early April and never resumed for the remainder of the growing season.

Corn yields in Mato Grosso are generally reported to be excellent and IMEA increased their statewide corn yield estimate to 112.6 sacks per hectare (107.4 bu/ac), which was up 2.3% from the prior month. The safrinha corn acreage in the state is 7.41 million hectares (18.3 million acres) and the corn production is estimated at 50.1 million tons. This represents an increase of 6.6% compared to the prior month and 14.3% compared to last year.

Below is the safrinha corn harvest progress in Mato Grosso (red line) from IMEA.

Tags: yield, safrinha corn, estimated, Brazil, rainfall, Production, Mato Grosso, harvested