Torrential rains in Rio Grande do Sul brought losses to soybean and corn crops, even though most of the areas have already been harvested in the State, while there are concerns about the quality and volumes of the remaining crops in the fields, said Rural Clima, an analyst at AgRural and a grain broker.
The large volume of rain has already caused the death of at least 13 people, leading the State to declare a state of public calamity.
The losses in rural areas are not greater because the State — which is on track to be the second soybean producer in Brazil in the 2023/24 harvest, behind Mato Grosso — has already harvested most of the season’s soybean and corn crops.
Until Thursday last week, Rio Grande do Sul had harvested 66% of its soybean areas and 82% of its corn areas, according to data from Emater, which has not yet updated this week’s figures.
“Torrential rains in Rio Grande do Sul have already been causing countless disruptions and losses… losses in the areas of soybeans, corn and rice and other crops, but also disruptions in urban areas, as many roads are blocked…”, said the agrometeorologist at Rio Grande do Sul. Rural Climate Marco Antônio dos Santos, in a bulletin this Thursday.
According to him, in the coming days it will continue to rain in much of the northern half of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as the extreme south of Santa Catarina.
“These very voluminous rains with no break in the sun to harvest always end up causing losses in terms of quality”, said AgRural analyst Adriano Gomes.
According to him, the northwest portion of Rio Grande do Sul is already in the final stretch of harvest, while in the southern part there are more areas to be harvested, “and that is where the concern is greatest at the moment”.
“Of course, those who still have soybeans in the northwest region to harvest end up being harmed, but much of it was already removed from the field before this most recent wave of rain,” he pointed out.
A grain broker in Passo Fundo said that around 40% of the soybeans have not yet been harvested in the south of Rio Grande do Sul, while in the north around 80-90% of the crop has already been harvested.
At the weekend, the rains decrease, giving a respite between Sunday and Monday.
However, said the Rural Clima meteorologist, a new cold front should form in the South between May 6th and 7th, and from the 9th onwards new rains are forecast for Rio Grande do Sul. “Lower volumes, but any rain in extremely wet soil is already chaos.”
