Conab’s monitoring indicates good crop development despite climatic contrasts in the country.

The vegetation index (VI) evolution charts for the main soybean and second-crop corn producing regions continue to indicate favorable crop development conditions in most areas. This positive result is observed even amidst an irregular distribution of rainfall across the country. According to the Agricultural Monitoring Bulletin (BMA), released by the National Supply Company (Conab), between March 1st and 21st, the highest rainfall volumes were recorded in the Brazilian North-Central region. While these precipitations restricted soybean harvesting in some areas, they benefited the development of first and second-crop plantings in the field. Also according to the Bulletin, in most of the North region, rainfall was regular and well-distributed. Accumulated rainfall was below average in some areas, but even so, soil water storage remained stable, favoring the development of first and second-crop plantings in practically the entire region. In Pará and Tocantins, there were isolated problems due to excessive rainfall during the soybean harvest. In Roraima, there was practically no rainfall, a normal situation for this time of year. In the Northeast, the highest rainfall volumes occurred at the beginning of the month in areas of Maranhão and Piauí, as well as parts of Bahia and Ceará, favoring crop development. In the semi-arid region, rainfall has not yet stabilized, keeping soil moisture low in some areas. In parts of Bahia, irregular rainfall combined with high temperatures caused water scarcity and prevented further progress in the sowing of second-crop corn and beans in areas of the northeastern hinterland. During the analyzed period, Conab also verified that in the South region, rainfall was irregular and with low accumulations, resulting in insufficient soil water storage for the development of second-crop corn in areas of Paraná, and soybeans in the fields of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The Central-West, the largest grain-producing region, recorded frequent rainfall in areas of Mato Grosso and Goiás, sporadically hindering the soybean harvest. In Mato Grosso do Sul, the highest rainfall amounts occurred in the second week of the month and were essential for replenishing soil water reserves in the southwest of the state, in areas where the second-crop corn was already experiencing water scarcity. In the Southeast region, there were good rainfall amounts in the second week of the month in the state of São Paulo and in parts of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. In the third week, the rains spread across the state of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, accumulating good volumes in the region.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.