'Brazil's bumper soya harvest dries out'

Dry weather over the past week has favoured the harvest of Brazil's record soyabean crop, but more widespread rains are due over the weekend and early next week, Somar predicted Friday. The main soya producing states have been getting above-average rainfall since planting started in September, which has allowed producers to plant and bring a greater portion of the crop to early maturity.
In January, rainfall was above average in nearly all the main soyabean states. Parts of No 3 soya state Rio Grande do Sul got 190 percent of the average moisture that normally falls in the month, and forecasters see a bumper crop because of the rain. The No 4 soya state of Goias was the only major producer that was short of its average moisture for the month, coming in 47 percent below average. But Somar said widespread rain is due to return to the main soya belt over the next five days.
"Soon, heavy widespread rains will return to productive areas across the country," Somar said in a daily soya weather bulletin. "Between February 5 and 9, more than 30mm (1.2 inches) is seen falling on a good part of Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goias, northern Mato Grosso do Sul, Maranhao, Piaui and western Bahia."
Somar added that No 2 soya state Parana and the southern parts of No 5 soya state Mato Grosso do Sul would see only half the volume of rains expected in the other growing states. In its extended 10-day forecast, Somar said rains should begin to break up again over Goias and western Bahia, as well as in the smaller but fast growing north-eastern states.
Harvest in No 1 soya state Mato Grosso will begin to pick up speed in February and March. Producers planted a large portion of the soya crop early due to good rains, which translates into an earlier harvest than normal. Brazil is expected to produce a record soya crop of roughly 64 million to 65 million tonnes this year. The ample moisture over the grain belt has increased outbreaks of diseases such as Asian soya rust but the wet weather is expected to favour the crop more than hurt it, with the bulk of harvest still at least a month or two off.