Brazilian farmers have commenced planting their first corn crop for the 2024/25 season, according to agribusiness consultancy AgRural. As of late last week, approximately 4.2% of the projected area in the key center-south region had been sown.
Typically, Brazil plants corn year-round, with the first crop contributing about 20% of the national output. The second crop, planted after the soybean harvest, accounts for around 75% of total corn production.
AgRural noted that the current planting pace is slower than last year, which saw 7.5% of the area sown by this time. Farmers are adopting a cautious approach following frosts experienced in mid-August. Most planting activity is currently concentrated in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state.
As planting progresses, it is expected to accelerate in the southern states of Parana and Santa Catarina next month, while other regions will not begin sowing until late September or early October.
The consultancy also forecasts that the area dedicated to Brazil’s first corn crop will be 3.5% lower in the 2024/25 season compared to the previous year, attributing this decline to reduced prices and concerns over potential yield losses due to the La Nina climate phenomenon.