RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The second corn crop in south-central Brazil was estimated at 54.6 million tons, consulting firm AgRural said Monday (5), reducing its forecast by 5.4 million tons from the May 27 forecast due to the impact of frosts and drought.
“Part of this 5.4 million ton decline is due to negative yield adjustments due to drought (the main cause of cuts in previous months), but this time the main reason for the adjustment was really frost,” the consultancy said in a report, referring to the impact of last week’s intense cold.
In terms of the original potential of the second harvest in 2021 – estimated before the drought that began in late March – the shortfall exceeds 22 million tons.
By last Thursday, the harvest of corn “safrinha” had reached 12% of the cultivated area in the center-south, AgRural said.
“Despite the good progress (5% of the area was harvested a week earlier), compared to the 23% of the same period last year, there is a delay due to the later sowing,” he added.
AgRural now estimates Brazil’s total 2020/21 corn crop at 85.3 million tons, down from 102.5 million tons in the previous cycle.