Farmers in central Brazil are replanting soyabeans due to less-than-expected rainfall in the states of Mato Grosso and Goias, soyabean producers and analysts said on Monday. Replanting won't keep Brazil from harvesting what will likely be its biggest soyabean crop ever, especially if rain is plentiful this month as forecast. But it will increase costs and leave less time for farmers to plant corn later in the season.
Farmers in central Brazil who planted soyabeans soon after September 15, when the country's legally enforced planting window opened, were disappointed when rains that had been forecast for late September never materialised. Some soyabean seeds never even germinated. "We've had cases of replanting all over the south-eastern part of the state, which is the first to plant in Goias," said Leonardo Machado, a technical analyst for the Goias Agricultural Federation in Brazil's No 4 soya state. He said replanting added an extra 100 reais ($49.15) per hectare to the usual 300 reais cost.
In top soya producing state Mato Grosso, which received less-than-average rainfall in October, replanting has put farmers behind the usual pace of planting. "We are quite behind because of this," said Alex Utida, vice president of the producer's association Aprosoja, on the phone from Campo Novo do Parecis in western Mato Grosso. Mato Grosso has planted 58 percent of its soya crop compared to 68 percent at this time last year, local analyst Celeres said on Monday. Farmers had hoped to plant soya as early as possible in order to harvest early in 2013 and have time to plant a second corn crop before the rains weaken in February-March. "Goias and some areas of Mato Grosso are so behind that the window for corn to be planted afterwards is very small," said Daniele Siqueira, an analyst at Brazil's AgRural.