The planting of Brazil's soyabean crop is well ahead of schedule and has surpassed the halfway mark for planting of a record area this year, grain analysts Celeres said on Monday. Ample rains since late September in most soya producing regions have allowed producers to sow an early crop this year, unlike last season when spring rains were delayed by a month and a half due to the effects of La Nina.
La Nina, which tends to disrupt local weather patterns by making the south more prone to drought and the center-west to later but heavier rains, is also at play this season. So far, it has had little effect on the planting season. Celeres said planting of the forecast record 75.5 million tonne crop has covered 58 percent of the expected area, ahead of the 56 percent planted last year and over the past five years on average at this time. The prior week, 48 percent of the crop had been planted.
Weather have favoured planting. October rainfall over the center-south grain belt surpassed historical levels and rains continue to fall with regularity in November over the soya belt, weather forecasters Somar said on Monday. No 1 soya state Mato Grosso leads the planting campaign, after rains rolled into the center-west with wider coverage over the past weeks. Planting in the state reached 79 percent of its area, up from 68 percent the week earlier and up from 72 percent a year ago, Celeres said.