Soybean planting throughout Brazil has been under way for the past six weeks and nearly 65 percent of the crop has been sown, the US Agriculture Department said on Tuesday. The pace of plantings is "closing tracking" the average for the past five years, the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a special report on Brazil's soy crop.
"As of November 20, nearly 65 percent of the crop has reportedly been sown, with rapid progress noted in most areas as weather permits," the USDA said.
Normal planting progress has been made in the states of Mato Grosso, Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana, and Sao Paulo where rain has been adequate, the USDA said.
"In the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Maranhao, Tocantins, and Piaui, however, rainfall has been deficient to date, and planting progress significantly lags normal levels," the USDA added.
The 2004 summer rainy season typically begins in October in Brazil, allowing soybean planting through December.
Commercial soybean growers in the rapidly expanding Center-West region of Brazil are trying to double-crop soybeans with corn, sorghum and cotton to maximise farm production.
In the 2004/05 crop year, Brazil is expected to harvest 64.5 million tonnes of soybeans, up sharply from 52.6 million tonnes in the previous year, according to the USDA's latest monthly world crop forecast.