Record oats harvest is driven by the acreage planting increase

In 2020, Brazil will harvest for the first time in its history more than one million tons of oats, according to the latest forecasts. The typical winter crop production was driven by the good weather conditions in the last crop year, when there was an increase in the planted area after some climatic issues in Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso do Sul states.
With the summer crop failure related to the drought in the south of the country, producers were encouraged to bet more on extending the area with winter crops in order to have greater profitability and to increase their margins. This is a natural movement for the losses of the first crop harvest.

1.1 million tons of oats are expected to be produced in 2019/20, accounting for an increase of 26.2% compared to the previous cycle. In the final stretch of the harvest, which ended in July. Estimates point out an 8.2% higher planted area compared to the last season, with 430.8 thousand hectares.

Besides Rio Grande do Sul, where the planting area increased 10.2% in the past cycle, there was an increase in the cropping area in Mato Grosso do Sul, where Embrapa even indicated the planting of oats and other winter crops earlier this year in view of the risk of frost during the development phase of off-season corn in the State.

According to Conab, Mato Grosso do Sul should harvest 90 thousand tons of oats in 2020, double the amount registered in the previous cycle. In Rio Grande do Sul, where the production of 805.9 thousand tons is expected, growth rate is near 21.2%.