Record harvest of safrinha corn in Brazil

AgRural, a consultancy, forecasts Brazil’s total corn production in the 2024/25 marketing year to be 130.6 million tonnes. This is 2.1 million tonnes more than the 128.5 million tonnes forecast earlier this month. The revised forecast is due to higher estimates for the second crop of corn, known as “safrinha,” which is now expected to reach a record 103.4 million tonnes, up from 101.5 million tonnes previously.

Brazil’s second crop of corn, which accounts for about 80% of the country’s total production this year, is sown after the soybean harvest on the same land. The bulk of this crop is exported in the second half of the year, competing with US corn suppliers on global markets. According to AgRural, as of Thursday, farmers in the central-southern region of Brazil had harvested 18% of the second crop area, up 5 percentage points from the previous week but still well below the 49% recorded at the same time last year.

Frosts and rains last week have complicated field operations in some regions of Brazil, raising concerns about grain yields and quality. The northern state of Paraná was hardest hit by the frost, while the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, western Paraná and southern São Paulo suffered less damage. Mato Grosso remains the leading corn harvest region, followed closely by Paraná.

Farmers are currently assessing losses caused by the weather, but the process is being complicated by rains that have followed a cold snap. “The assessment of losses is ongoing, but the rains that followed the frost are hindering this process,” AgRural said. The company plans to release an updated production forecast next month.

Tags: corn, Brazil