SAO PAULO: Brazil’s soyabean crop is expected to reach a record 161.6 million metric tons in 2023/24, agribusiness consultancy Agroconsult said on Wednesday, despite weather issues that are seen keeping overall production below the country’s potential.

According to Agroconsult, adverse weather with irregular rainfall in center-northern Brazil is set to cap this season’s crop by 7.6 million tons, with most of the losses registered in top grain producing state Mato Grosso.

Even so, output will be larger than the 159.7 million tons seen in the previous cycle, Agroconsult said, as the planted area is forecast to grow 2.9% to 45.7 million hectares and yields set to improve in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state.