SAO PAULO: The harvesting of Brazil’s 2021/22 soybean crop has reached 5% of the estimated area as work in top producing state of Mato Grosso picked up pace under improved weather conditions, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday. The figure, which takes into account areas harvested as of last Thursday, came in 4 percentage points above the previous week. In 2020/21, when the oilseed was planted later due to weather issues, harvesting had reached 0.7% by this point.

AgRural said soybean yields in Mato Grosso were satisfactory, while in the southern state of Parana they remain low due to a severe drought. In Rio Grande do Sul, also affected by the lack of rainfall, harvesting had not yet started.

“In the rest of the country, crops are developing well and the harvest is beginning in several states. Despite some losses due to excessive rains in Matopiba (a five-state area located mainly in northeastern Brazil) and Minas Gerais, expectations point to a great crop in all of these states,” the consultancy said. AgRural currently sees Brazil’s 2021/22 soybean crop at 133.4 million tonnes.

As the oilseed harvesting gathers pace, the consultancy also noted the planting of Brazil’s center-south 2022 second corn crop had reached 5% of the estimated area, also buoyed by Mato Grosso.