MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Dry spell blamed for the slowest 2019/2020 soybean planting season in Brazil

At this time in 2018, Brazilian growers had sowed 9.5% of the fields, the consultancy said

Brazilian farmers have planted 3.1% of the estimated soybean area for the 2019/2020 crop, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday, blaming a lack of rain for the slowest start to the season in six years.

Brazilian farmers have planted 3.1% of the estimated soybean area for the 2019/2020 crop, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday, blaming a lack of rain for the slowest start to the season in six years.

At this time in 2018, Brazilian growers had sowed 9.5% of the fields, the consultancy said. It added that thanks to some rain in key stakes like Paraná and Mato Grosso, farmers had advanced soy planting from the level of only 0.9% of the area seen in the previous week.

AgRural said the pace of soybean planting was the slowest since the 2013/2014 crop, when farmers in early October had sowed only 2.7% of the area.

The slower pace has led to speculation farmers will have a narrower window to plant a second crop, AgRural said. Most farmers in Brazil plant cotton or corn as a second crop after harvesting the soybeans. AgRural estimates present-season soy area at 36.3 million hectares and output at 119.7 million tons, according to a recent poll.

Likely improved weather throughout October, combined with Brazilian farmers' ability to plant quickly, will tend to minimize the effects of the current planting delay, AgRural said.