Brazil's soya planting loses steam, again lagging five-year average

Soyabean plantings for the new Brazilian crop (2019-20) have reached 77.3% of the expected area to be planted with the oilseed at the end of this week, a slower pace than seen last year and also lagging the five-year average for the period.

According to a report from consultancy ARC Mercosul released on Friday, farmers advanced 6 percentage points in the last week. They had planted 89.6% of the area at this time last season. The five-average for this time is 80.5%.

Matheus Pereira, a grains analyst at ARC Mercosul, said that after problems in states such as Mato Grosso and Parana earlier in the plantings period, now there are delays in No. 3 producing state Rio Grande do Sul.

Farmers in Rio Grande do Sul planted only 38% of the area so far compared to 67% a year ago and 52% on average in the last five years.

Bartolomeu Braz Pereira, head of Brazil's soya producers association Aprosoja, said farmers were worried now with the second corn crop, which is planted right after soyabeans are harvested.

Delays in soya planting and some replanting will push forward corn plantings.

"The second crop will be planted later. In my case, for example, I will have to plant the corn outside of the ideal window, which is bad because the crop could receive less rain, yields could fall," Pereira, who has land in Goias state, said. Brazil produced a large second corn crop in 2019, which allowed the country to boost exports of the cereal.