The weather in the main grain exporting countries favors the development of crops

Weather conditions in the main grain exporting countries are generally favorable for crop development, with only uneven rainfall in Brazil causing concern due to a possible reduction in the yield potential of saffron corn.

This week, the cyclone brought frosts to -10…-15 ^o C and heavy snowfalls in the north and rains in the south of the region to the Midwest and Plains of the USA, which will have a beneficial effect on winter wheat crops and replenish soil moisture reserves on the eve of sowing spring crops. Next week, temperatures will rise to +2…+10 ^o C, and precipitation will continue to improve wheat vegetation.

Analysts are assessing how the weather will affect corn plantings and whether corn acreage will decline in favor of soybeans, as the USDA predicts.

Scattered rains are continuing in Brazil, favorable for the sowing of corn of the second crop, the sowing of which has already been completed. The central states will see heavy rains next week, while the southern states, especially the state of Paraná, will see less rainfall. It is important that the second-harvest corn crops in March and April receive the maximum amount of moisture, since the dry season will begin already in May.

In Argentina, heavy rains are improving soybean and corn harvest forecasts, although they are delaying harvest. Next week’s dry weather will allow the sunflower harvest to accelerate and the soybean harvest to begin.

Europe, especially France, suffers from excessive rains, which delay the sowing of spring crops, which may lead to a change in the pattern of sowing areas and an increase in the area under late crops (soy and corn). Precipitation will continue next week, which will generally help the development of winter wheat and canola, as well as replenish moisture reserves ahead of spring planting. It is expected that the harvest of soft wheat in the EU will be 5 million tons less than last year, due to the reduction of sowing areas due to heavy autumn rains.

In Ukraine, cool weather with periodic precipitation favors the development of winter crops, but the amount of precipitation is below normal, and no rain is expected in the next 7-10 days, which worries market participants.

In the south-west of the Russian Federation, in the main areas of winter wheat cultivation, favorable weather prevails with precipitation, so the wheat harvest is forecast to be at the level of last year, or even exceed it.

Tags: Ukraine, Brazil, EU, USA, crop condition