Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul producers estimate a 10% reduction in the winter harvest area

In Rio Grande do Sul, the harvest of the 23/24 soybean harvest is already considered technically complete, with the exception of areas in the southern half that still have some plants in the field, but with inferior quality, as they are well damaged by the heavy rains of May. The 2023/24 cycle reached productivity peaks of 5,400 kg per hectare and, in the end, dropped to less than 1,400 kg/ha in some regions. Damaged and damp grains depict the end of this summer harvest. “Half was lost. It really was a huge blow for us because imagine all the investment and you losing 50% of production? It’s terrible”, says the producer from the municipality of Santa Antônio da Patrulha, Maria da Graça Castilhos. As for rice, the harvest was completed and the harvest totals 7.1 million tons, a drop of 9% compared to the previous estimate. In corn, even with the critical situation of some crops, the results are not considered so bad: Emater-RS reduced productivity in the state from 6,401 kg/ha to ...