Brazil Department of Rural Economy forecasts production of 5.9 million tons of corn in the second harvest 2020/21

The Department of Rural Economy (Deral), of the State Secretariat for Agriculture and Supply, once again reduced the forecast of corn production for the second 2020/21 harvest. The new estimate is that 5.9 million tons will be produced, a drop of 186,000 tons compared to what was expected in July. If it were a normal crop and followed the initial forecast, producers would be harvesting 14.6 million tons. The reduction is a consequence of the long drought faced by Paraná, the two strongest frosts this year and the incidence of pests, especially the leafhopper, which causes the disease known as stunting. "The loss in the field is 8.7 million tons and this is impacting the market in terms of supply," said Deral technician Edmar Gervásio. According to him, the state may need to seek out around 5 million tons, which is already happening with corn coming from the Northeast of the country and from countries like Paraguay and Argentina. WHEAT – Among winter crops, Deral also reduced the ...