A cold front off Brazil's south-east coast should bring rain to top soya growing state Mato Grosso this week, with isolated showers also expected in the drier south, forecaster Somar said on Monday. Soya planting is complete in central Brazil, though it is still unfolding in parts of the south after an unusually dry November, putting Brazil's overall sowing at 84 percent of the expected total compared to 93 percent a year earlier, analyst AgRural also said on Monday.

Recent rains have brought some relief, however. No 2 soya state Parana received 14mm (0.55 inches) of rain on Friday, when a downpour left 72mm in Mato Grosso do Sul, Somar said. Parts of Rio Grande do Sul got 15mm of rain on Saturday. "Good rainfall reaching much of Rio Grande do Sul and western Parana over the past seven days brought relief to many producers," Parana-based AgRural said in its report.

Copyright Reuters, 2012