Climate damaged corn production potential in the South Region

In Rio Grande do Sul, the lack of rain compromised corn performance. In the 7th harvest survey carried out by Conab, the portrait of the crops shows that the sowing of corn for the second harvest has practically finished.

Corn

The estimated area of ​​corn for the first harvest, in the 2019/20 season, is 4,22 million hectares, 2,8% greater than the area cultivated in the 2018/19 harvest, influenced by the good prices of the cereal. Climatic problems in the South Region, especially in Rio Grande do Sul, harmed the productive potential of crops, which should result in an average yield in the country of 4,2% lower than in the last harvest. The harvest in the country reached 44% in the week of the survey.

2nd corn harvest

The second corn harvest is sown in accordance with the progress of the soybean harvest. Mato Grosso, the main producing state, completed corn planting, along with Goiás, Tocantins and Maranhão. Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and Piauí have more than 90% of the area sown.

The delay in planting soybeans, due to the lack of or uneven rainfall last October, reduced the planting window favorable to second-crop corn, a fact that helps explain the estimated area reduction in Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná.

Despite this smaller window, in Mato Grosso do Sul, it is estimated that approximately 25% of the area will be sown outside the climate risk zone.

Corn 3rd harvest

For third harvest corn, the estimated production is 1,16 million tons. This corn, which is mainly available in the Sealba region (Sergipe, Alagoas and northeastern Bahia), in addition to Pernambuco and Roraima, is produced in a planting calendar similar to that of the Northern Hemisphere, concentrating on the period between May and June.

Therefore, the national corn production estimate, considering the first, second and third harvests, in the 2019/20 season, should present a volume similar to that of the 2018/19 harvest, and result in a production of 101,9 million tons.