Heavy rain in recent weeks caused an estimated loss of between 10 percent and 15 percent in the soyabean crop in the Lucas do Rio Verde district of north central Mato Grosso, agronomists said on Friday.
Maturing soyabeans covers 20 percent to 30 percent of the 210,000 hectares (519,000 acres) soyabean area of Lucas do Rio Verde, one of the biggest producers in Brazil's No 1 soya state.
"It stopped raining today but the damage in the region has already been done," said Valdenir Jose dos Santos, agronomist at the Mato Gross Agricultural Economy Institute (IMEA).
He said it was expected to remain dry the next few days and that farmer would be able to harvest this weekend.
However, Santos added that unpaved roads were in very poor condition after the rains, making it extremely difficult to transport the harvest to crushing plants and to the ports.
"Various roads are still blocked, but if it remains dry for the next few days the situation should return to normal," said Bernardino Pedro da Silva, a consultant agronomist in Sorriso, a district near Lucas do Rio Verde.
Sorriso, which has 560,000 hectares of soyabeans (1.4 million acres), also suffered losses due to excessive rain.
But the situation is more serious in Lucas because it's the first to harvest. "There are serious problems in Sorriso, but in small areas," said Silva.
Conab, the Government's crop supply agency, estimated the soyabean area in Mato Grosso at 5.2 million hectares (12.8 million acres) in 2003/04 (Oct/Sept). Output is expected to reach 15.6 million tonnes.
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