Drought conditions in key agricultural regions of the United States improved for soybean, corn, and wheat crops last week, according to data from the report. Drought Monitor, released by Department of Agriculture (USDA) this Thursday (2). According to the most recent update, 19% of the cultivated areas with soy are located in drought-stricken regions, a decrease of 3 percentage points compared to the previous week. Even so, the index remains 11 percentage points above that recorded in the same period last year, when it was 8%. In the case of corn19% of crops are located in areas affected by drought, also a decrease of 3 percentage points compared to the 22% observed last week. Despite the improvement, the current percentage remains 7 points above that recorded a year ago (12%). For the spring wheatThe scenario also showed improvement. The percentage of areas experiencing drought decreased from 25% to 19% in the weekly comparison. Compared to the same period last year, there was a decrease of 10 percentage points (29%). winter wheatMeanwhile, the situation improved again. The share of crops located in drought-stricken regions fell from 57% to 47% in one week, a reduction of 10 percentage points. Despite the recent relief, the indicator remains well above the 24% recorded in the same period last year. As for… cotton The situation showed a 2 percentage point improvement. The share of crops in drought-affected areas fell to 56%. Even so, the situation remains significantly worse than a year ago, when only 3% of the areas were experiencing moderate or more severe drought.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.