RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Well-filled leaves and large grains: signs that corn is almost ready to be harvested.
On a farm in Rio Preto (SP) there are 25 hectares of planted area. Last year, the harvest yielded almost two tons per hectare. This year, production should increase by around 30% and everything that is harvested will go to the animal feed industry.
The rural producer Antônio Ferreira Lara is excited with the growth and the price should also improve. Today, the bag is costing almost R$90, (US$16.40) more than double than at the same time last year. For Antônio, this increase in price helps to offset the increase in the inputs used in the plantation.
In the accumulated 12 months, 2020 had already been a differentiated year, with an appreciation of almost 60% in price. And 2021 started with this upward trend, becoming more consolidated every day.
Among the determining factors for the appreciation of corn, one can mention the high dollar and the heated demand in the domestic market, but especially in the foreign market. The agronomist Varlei Aparecido Perozin says that selling to China is paying off, since the country’s demand is high.
Another factor that should impact the price is the weather. In some regions, the harvest will be very late and the planting of the safrinha will be delayed. According to specialists, this may affect the supply of corn in the domestic market.
One of the producers who had to delay the harvest is Mário Imada. He has 120 hectares of corn planted in several properties in the northwestern part of the state and says that the rain did not come at the right time, delaying corn development.
If on the one hand those who plant corn are happy with the scenario, on the other hand those who need to buy it are encountering difficulties, since the grain is the basis for the feeding of many animals and this makes breeding much more expensive.
As long as there is an imbalance between supply and demand, the price of corn should continue to rise.
Source: G1