The soybean harvest in the northern and northwestern regions of Paraná, Brazil's second-largest soybean producing region, is increasingly worrying producers. Lack of rain and high temperatures have affected the growth of grain. The loss of many crops reaches 50% of the yield.
This situation is very worrying. This is how Donato Beltramin, a producer in the rural area of Francisco Alves, in northwestern Paraná, defines the condition of the soybean crop in the harvest phase. According to him, 400 hectares of oilseed planting potential are expected to lose between 40 and 50 percent. In some areas of the plantation, the drop is between 60 and 70 percent. The cause of the damage is that the drought in the area has affected the growth of plants.
Until mid-December, the weather was good and the crop potential was great, however, there was no rain for more than 30 days and the biggest problem was that the temperatures were very high", commented Donato. He said there was regular rain on Dec. 9 and then widespread rain again on Jan. 10. At the same time, the average temperature reaches 42 and the ground temperature is close to 50.
This week he was in the field monitoring the harvest in the sown area. The result was a yield of 20 bags per hectare, well below expectations, i.e. 60 to 70 bags per hectare: "This is what happened at the beginning". He believes that the overall average productivity of the region should be between 35 and 40 hectares.
To date, 30% of the total planted has been harvested, with an average harvest of 30 bags of hectares.
Donato said the region has been suffering from drought for the past three years. "In the 21 22 harvest season, we lost 80 to 90 percent, which was catastrophic. And on 22/23, it was down 60%", he recalled. It is hoped that the loss of the current harvest will be compensated.
This harvest will restore cash flow and help meet obligations. As a result of such a large loss, the producer has completely lost his capital. ”
Producers also highlight that the sale of soybeans is a problem, as soybeans are being sold and soybeans in the region are still slightly above R$100 per bag. "Due to a severe crop failure, **every day**, the account will not be closed," he warned. ”
In addition to climate and **, he pointed to the reduction in rural insurance coverage as another difficulty and considered the support of department leaders and *** to help producers who have suffered significant losses for several years in a row. Also this Wednesday, he received experts from insurance companies for an assessment in the field.
Crop conditions
The Paraná State Agency has documented the disturbance of the soybean harvest in the state of Paraná by bad weather. The communiqué issued this week by the Department of Rural Economy (DERAL) of the Secretariat of Agriculture and ** of the State of Paraná states that in the northern region, soybeans are mainly in the fruiting period and are beginning to ripen, with some of the specific areas where soybeans are being harvested.
According to the cooperative field technicians, in these areas of the first harvests, the average yield was lower than initially estimated, due to the lack of regular rainfall and the extreme heat to which the plants were subjected during the growing cycle. The recovery of some plantations depends on the incidence of rainfall, which was observed last week. However, in some areas, the losses have been consolidated ", the document says.
Technicians and producers claim that rains came late at many plantations and that the filling period for most crops was much lower than expected, Deral said. The recovery of humidity should contribute to the recovery of crops planted later.
Regarding the north-west of the state, Deral mentioned that the soybean harvest had started last week and that the productivity of the first areas was lower than initially estimated. "The main factors are reduced rainfall and high temperatures in recent months, which have harmed the vegetative growth of crops", he concluded.
Harvest estimates
The extremely hot weather, combined with the scarcity and uneven distribution of rainfall in Paraná, especially after mid-December, has led to a reduction in the 2023-24 harvest estimate. Deral's subjective harvest** PSS) released on 25 January was 22.1 million tonnes, down 15% from the estimated 25.5 million tonnes in the first planting** made in August 2023.
The main crop during this period was soybeans, with a downward revision in area and yield. The intention of Paraná producers is to sow 5.8 million hectares. However, the final number was slightly more than 5.7 million (minus 0.).5%)。Production fell sharply by 119%。
The Ministry of Agriculture and ** expects that the state's economy will be affected, with losses estimated so far at around R$5 billion. The soybean harvest in Paraná reached 12% of the total area. According to the Ministry of Agriculture**, 61 per cent of the remaining crops in the field are in good condition, 31 per cent in fair condition and 8 per cent in poor condition, and the proportion of losses is expected to increase.
Regarding the climate of the state, according to ClimateMPO, the trend in February is average rainfall, with irregular showers and higher temperatures.
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