The 2022 Harvest Rally ends its field work at the same time that second harvest corn gains more relevance in the Brazilian production system. Corn assumes prominence due to the absolute growth in planted area and investments, which has helped to guarantee income for the producer.
The good start of the 2021/22 harvest, with high investments in technology and the earliest planting in history – as occurred in the state of Mato Grosso, the largest national producer of second-crop corn – was indicative of a promising harvest. “The pace of crop implementation was preponderant in determining how close some states were to reaching their maximum production potential”, says André Debastiani, coordinator of the Safra Rally. In Mato Grosso, 80% of the second harvest corn areas were implemented within the ideal or low-risk calendar. However, the early end of the rains in April frustrated the harvest in several regions.
Even so, according to an estimate by Agroconsult, organizer of the Rally, second-crop corn production rose to 89,3 million tons – an increase of 1,7 million tons over the projection released on May 18. This review included changes in productivity projections based on field analyzes and initial harvest results, in addition to an adjustment that increased the estimated planted area by 560 thousand hectares, reaching 16,4 million hectares (11,5 % above the previous harvest). The total corn harvest could reach 114,8 million tons, a volume 30,9% higher than the last harvest.
In Mato Grosso, analyzes carried out by the Rally teams show an increase of 10% in the plant population and a 22% increase in the number of grains per hectare. With this, the state reaches a productivity projection of 102,3 bags per hectare (7,8 bags more than in the previous harvest).
In Paraná, the productivity estimate reaches 93,2 bags per hectare, 113% above the previous harvest, and the area estimate has grown and now reaches 2,7 million hectares. Mato Grosso do Sul has a projection of 90,8 bags per hectare, with a growth rate similar to that of Paraná. Goiás, with 83,5 bags per hectare, points to a 23% increase in productivity compared to the last harvest.
Soybean
Regarding soybeans, Agroconsult's production estimate rose to 126,9 million tons, 2,3 million tons above what was announced at the end of the soybean stage of the Rally, on March 17th. “At the time, our projections were higher than the official numbers. And, faced with a harvest in irregular conditions due to the weather, companies and institutions that projected a smaller harvest started to approach the Rally number. Now we are increasing our numbers again”, explains Debastiani. The area estimate increased from 40,8 million to 41,3 million hectares, which now represents a growth of 5,5% compared to the last harvest.
Despite the good start and the high investment in technology, this harvest is expected to be marked by a loss of at least 40 million tons of grains due to the irregular climate throughout the development of the crops. According to estimates by Agroconsult, Brazilian grain production for the 21/22 harvest is expected to reach 272 million tons. “The 300 million ton harvest has already been planted in Brazil, it was just not harvested this season due to the irregular weather, but we will certainly reach it soon”, says André Pessôa, CEO of Agroconsult.
In this 19th edition of the Safra Rally, 25 teams covered more than 60 thousand kilometers in 11 states. The soybean stage took place between January and March. The second harvest corn evaluation stage began on May 15, when the first two teams toured the West and Middle-North of Mato Grosso. Another two evaluated crops in the Southeast of Mato Grosso, North of Mato Grosso do Sul and the Southwest region of Goiás. The South of Mato Grosso do Sul and the West of Paraná were the last two regions visited by the technicians. Samples were collected from more than 1.500 crops.
Organized by Agroconsult, the technical expedition is sponsored by Banco Santander, FMC, OCP Fertilizandos and Serasa Experian and national support from Hidrovias do Brasil and Unidas Agro.
The work of the teams and the complete itinerary of the expedition can be followed by http://bit.ly/RallyRedesSociais