CENTER-WEST PREPARES TO EXPAND AREA OF SECOND CORN CROP

The prospect is that this year the second corn crop, occupy a
larger area in the Midwest, the main producing region. Since
soyabean was planted at the right time, the corn crop, sown
soon after harvesting the oilseed, should meet the ideal
timeline as well. The great unknown is the climate, since the
region has recorded prolonged periods of drought and the
year will be El Niño, which in the Midwest is characterized by
more rainfall. In addition, for the advancement of the area,
corn prices throughout the first quarter should also be
decisive. The National Supply Company (Conab), in an
estimate released in December, projected a volume of 63.73
million tons in the second corn crop, with 44.23 million in the
Midwest, which, if confirmed, will represent growth of 18% in
Brazilian production and 13% in central Brazil compared to the
2017/18 harvest. The state-owned company has not yet
evaluated the expectation of an area increase in the Brazilian
season, but considering the crop sown in 2017/18 and the
yield potential, it points out that in the Midwest the largest
increase in production should be observed in Mato Grosso do
Sul , with 8,778 million tons (+ 38.5%), followed by Goiás, with
7,693 million tons (+ 20%). Mato Grosso, which is leading the
production of the second-crop cereal, is expected to harvest
27.497 million tons (+ 4.9%). An indication of which farmers
will invest in the corn harvest are the anticipated fertilizer
purchases. Although this input is more expensive than in the
previous season, purchases made in November outnumbered
those of November 2017. “This is happening in part because
farmers are more capitalized because of the good sale of the
soyabean crop and, so they can spend more and more before,
“said FCStone market analyst Fábio Rezende. The Mato
Grosso Institute for Agricultural Economics (Imea) estimates
an increase in the area of the safrinha in the state of 1.05%,
to 4.66 million hectares, and 3.43% in production, to 28.53
million tons . In Goiás, where the safrinha was lower in 2018
due to weather problems, there are conditions for a good
recovery, according to Adriano Barzotto, president of the
Association of Soya and Corn Producers of the State of Goiás
(Aprosoja-GO). In Mato Grosso do Sul, the crop should
increase 1.5% to 2% compared to 2017/18, to 1.8 million
hectares, according to internal estimates of Aprosoja-MS. The
association’s executive director, Frederico Azevedo, expects
the harvest to surpass 10 million tons, which may be the
highest crop in history.
Source: Canal Rural