Reuters: Production of Brazil's second corn harvest expected to decline

By Ana Mano SÃO PAULO (Reuters) - The market expects lower production of Brazil's second corn harvest due to a reduction in planted area, lower investment by farmers and intense El Niño, which brought drought to central Brazil and excess rain to the south. According to a report from agribusiness consultancy Cogo released this Monday, Brazil will harvest a total of 118.5 million tons of corn in the 2023/2024 harvest, below the initial expectation of 129.6 million tons. The projection reflects an 11% reduction in the estimated area for the first harvest, planted in the Brazilian spring. For the second crop, which represents 75% of annual production and is ideally sown by mid-February, farmers should reduce the planted area by 5%, Cogo said. The National Supply Company (Conab) predicted that Brazil's corn production would fall by almost 11%, to 117.6 million tons. Analysts and the government believe that a drop in the planted area and corn production would be possible because delays ...