Brazil's soyabean production in the 2019/20 season kicking off this month is expected to increase by 6.6% from the previous crop as the forecasted return of normal weather conditions props up yields, according to a poll of 12 forecasters on Friday. If expectations are confirmed, Brazil's next soyabean crop will be a record 122.62 million tonnes, the average of forecasts showed, compared with 115 million tonnes the government said farmers collected this year. Dry weather in September, which is hampering early soya planting in some states, is not seen as a problem throughout the season, analysts told Reuters, adding that an expected recovery in yields will be the main factor behind a potentially larger crop.

While the survey indicates an average growth of 2.1% in planted area in the season, that forecasted expansion is well below a historical average growth of more than 5%. According to Flávio França, chief grain analyst at Datagro, the climate last December led farmers to collect an estimated 10 million tonnes less of soya. This week, the government said farmers produced 3,206 kilos of the oilseeds per hectare, down from 3,394 kilos in the previous season.

Copyright Reuters, 2019