Heat stress on crops likely to continue over April 18-25

Second-corn crops in Brazil are likely to face heat stress during April 18-25, especially in the Center-West region, as rainfall is likely to be low, according to the latest weather forecast.
There is no forecast of significant rainfall in practically all the states in the Center-West region during April 18-25, Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology, or INMET, said.

For the southern region of the country, rainfall of 50-100 mm is expected in west, especially in the west of Santa Catarina, southern Parana and the northern Rio Grande do Sul, INMET said. In other parts of the region, precipitation exceeding 50 mm is not expected during April 18-25, INMET added.

Dryness remained extensive across central and southern Mato Grosso, southern Goias, northern Mato Grosso do Sul, and southwestern Minas Gerais, space technology provider Maxar said in its daily weather report on April 18.

“Dry weather is expected across most of the safrinha corn belt over the next week, which will allow dryness to increase again and expand in coverage, increasing stress on growth of the safrinha corn crop,” Maxar said.

The lack of adequate rainfall is already causing some apprehensions among producers in Minas Gerais and southwest Goias, the national agricultural agency Conab said in a report.

The first-corn crop in Brazil is planted in September-December and harvested in February-May, while the second crop is planted in February-March and harvested in June-July.

The country is expected to harvest a record 115.6 million mt of corn in marketing year 2021-22, spread over February 2022 to January 2023, including the first-corn output, according to Conab.

Brazil’s 2021-22 corn crop will be marketed from February 2022 to January 2023.

Brazil is usually the second-largest exporter of corn following the US.

Corn buyers are hoping for a bumper harvest in the country this season amid heightened supply risk in the Black Sea region, high prices, and low stock levels at major exporting countries.
Imports steady

The recent strengthening of real against the dollar has made corn imports cheaper for the buyers in the southern parts of the country.

Southern states in Brazil import corn, despite being one of the largest exporters of the cereal, as it is cheaper compared to transporting corn from the Midwest region of Brazil, where the bulk of the crop is grown.

Brazil imported 112,639 mt of corn in the first 10 business days of April, compared to 77,308 mt in the whole of April 2021, according to the data released by Brazil’s customs department.
Source: Platts