Market News & Headlines >> Soy Harvest Underway in Brazil

Soy growers in Brazil's top producing state of Mato Grosso have begun harvesting their 2021/22 crop, farmers told Reuters News Service on Wednesday, marking an early start to what is expected to be a record large harvest.

The start of harvesting right after Christmas comes significantly earlier than in 2020/21 when harvest started late due to planting delays and excessively wet weather in December and January. The 2020/21 harvest in Mato Grosso was only 0.8% complete as of Jan. 15, 2021, according to IMEA, the state agricultural institute.

Larger volumes are likely starting on Jan. 4, Matheus Pereira, director at agribusiness consultancy Patria AgroNegocios told Reuters. Brazilian conglomerate Amaggi, which this season planted around 176,000 hectares (434,905 acres) with soybeans, began harvesting in Campo Novo do Parecis on Wednesday, according to a statement. The company, which also plants cotton and corn after soy, estimates average soy yields at 60 bags per hectare (53.5 bushels per acre).

By Feb. 20, most of Mato Grosso's soybeans will have been harvested, said Fernando Cadore, president of the state's farm group Aprosoja. With soy out of fields sooner this year, growers will be able to plant cotton and corn crops on the same areas within the ideal climate window, he said.