Soybean sanitary break ends this Friday (6) in Mato Grosso

The soybean health gap in Mato Grosso is nearing its end. This is because this Friday (6), the period that prevents the planting of the oilseed in the state ends. With the end of the gap, farmers in Mato Grosso can sow the grain from Saturday (7).

The sanitary break lasted for 90 days and began on June 8 in Mato Grosso. This is a measure adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture (Mapa) to control Asian rust. The disease is caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, which can invade soybean crops, preventing grain formation and causing significant losses in productivity.

For this 2024/2025 soybean harvest, rural producers are monitoring the weather to prepare for planting, as they need rain to start sowing. However, most farmers in Mato Grosso leave sowing until October.

In the last harvest, 2023/2024, at the beginning of October only 14,25% of the total area destined for soybeans in the state had been sown. In the same month, planting ended with 70,05% sown, according to data from the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea).

Climate impacts

The person responsible for the Agricultural Defense Management of Aprosoja-MT, Jerusa Rech, gave details of what may happen to the climate in Mato Grosso in the coming days. Jerusa brings data from the entity's project, Aproclima, which provides climate reports and phytosanitary alerts to the institution's members.

“So far, Mato Grosso has not recorded significant rainfall that would guarantee ideal sowing. Aproclima forecasts indicate that there is no expectation of significant rainfall for the next week or for the next 15 days. However, there is a possibility of isolated rainfall,” he said.

Jerusa also details how the lack of rain has a negative impact on the performance of grains in crops. “Some regions of Mato Grosso have gone up to 120 days without rain and there is not enough moisture in the soil to put the seed in it so that it can emerge,” she said.

Despite a likely lack of rain at the beginning of the planting season, the current soybean harvest could increase compared to the last one. In 23/24, farmers in Mato Grosso produced around 39 million tons of the oilseed. For 24/25, the estimate is that 44 million tons will be harvested, an increase of approximately 12,8%, according to Imea.

Soybean productivity may also increase in Mato Grosso. This season, farmers can harvest around 57,9 bags per hectare, while last season productivity was 52,1 bags per hectare. This is 11,1% lower than the estimate for the current season.