Soybean harvest in Brazil reaches 74% of the planted area in the 2023/24 cycle

Brazil's soybean harvest for the 2023/24 cycle reached 74% of the planted area last Thursday, as reported by the agribusiness consultancy AgRural on Monday, marking a 5-percentage-point increase from the previous week.

However, this number fell short of the 76% observed at the same time last year.

Rains have been hindering harvest progress in parts of central-north Brazil, impacting grain quality in certain areas, AgRural stated in a release.

Although rainfall has decreased in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, it will soon be needed again to prevent yield losses for farmers who planted their fields late in the season, the consultancy added.

With Brazil's second corn crop planting now completed, farmers have shifted their focus to "the weather's effects on crop development and production potential," noted AgRural.

On the other hand, areas such as Paraná state and the southern regions of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo are likely to face productivity losses due to hot weather and irregular rainfall, AgRural warned.

Brazil's second corn crop accounts for approximately 75% of the national production each year and is planted after the soybean harvest in the same fields.