Wheat in Southern Brazil Impacted by Dry Weather and Frosts

In their weekly bulletin, the Department of Rural Economics for the state of Parana (Deral) reported that 19% of the winter wheat in the state was rated as poor compared to 16% a week earlier. Dry weather in northern Parana and frost in southern Parana have negatively impacted the wheat.

The lowest rated crop is in the northern part of the state where dry conditions restricted grain formation. In the municipality of Maringa, the majority of the wheat is rated poor with the remainder rated average. Wheat planted in April is currently being harvested with low yields in the range of 10 to 15 sacks per hectare (9 to 13 bu/ac), which will not cover the cost of production.

Last week a mass of cold polar air resulted in frost across southern Parana. The total extent of the damage is still being evaluated, but the greatest damage occurred in wheat that was flowering.

Frost also occurred in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is Brazil’s largest wheat producing state, but the wheat in that state was planted later and was still in vegetative development when the frost occurred resulting in limited damage.

The consulting firm Safras & Mercado is estimating the 2024 wheat acreage in Brazil at 2.94 million hectares (7.26 million acres), which is down 14% compared to the 3.415 million hectares planted in 2023 (8.43 million acres). The 2024 wheat production is expected to be 8.795 million tons, or an increase of 4% compared to 2023. The increased production is the result of improved yields in the state of Rio Grande do Sul where torrential rains and floods wreaked havoc on the 2023 wheat crop in the state.

Tags: frost, Parana, Brazil, winter wheat, Production, crop, dry weather, acreage, Rio Grande do Sul