Corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) was detected in Uruguay
HSBC has announced the sale of its assets in Argentina for US$ 550 million to Grupo Financiero Galicia. Noel Quinn, CEO of the bank, said that the unit in the country “generates considerable volatility in the earnings for the group”. (HSBC)
Grain production for the 2023/24 season should reach 294.07 million tonnes, which represents a reduction of 8%, or 25.7 million tonnes, when compared to 2022/23. Result is 0.5% lower than the previous estimate, made by the National Supply Company at the beginning of March. (Conab)
In 2023, Brazil exported 55 million tonnes of corn, becoming the world’s largest exporter of the grain during the season. However, there should be a drop in exports in 2024, due to the reduced availability of corn. According to the National Association of Cereal Exporters, Brazil is expected to export a maximum of 38 million tonnes in 2024. (Anec)
Drought in some regions, a decrease in commodity prices, and interest rates at levels which are still considered high could slow down the agricultural machinery market in 2024. Despite the 30.8% increase in revenue for companies in the sector between January and February, the estimate is that the segment will show a drop of 15% in 2024, according to Pedro Estevão Bastos Oliveira, president of the Sectoral Chamber of Agricultural Machines and Implements of the Brazilian Association of the Machinery and Equipment Industry. The sector’s net revenue in February was US$ 830 million. (Abimaq)
Municipality of Tupã, State of São Paulo, has declared a state of emergency due to prolonged drought. According to a decree signed by Mayor Caio Aoqui, the municipality has faced long periods of low rainfall and high temperatures since the middle of 2023, which has worsened in recent months. The drought has compromised the yields of soybeans, corn, sugarcane, coffee and peanuts during the 2023/24 season, with losses estimated between 40% and 60%. (Tupã City Hall)
Two workers died buried in a soybean silo from Big Safra company, in Monte Castelo, State of Santa Catarina, on April 8th. The Civil Police is investigating the case. (Civil Police of Santa Catarina)
Total GDP of the soybean and biodiesel chain grew 21% compared to 2022, reaching US$ 125.22 billion. The sector’s performance represented 23.2% of agribusiness GDP and 5.9% of Brazilian GDP. Despite this, the actual income of the soybean sector fell 5.34% compared to 2022, due to the drop in prices. (Cepea)
China and the USA are the main destinations of Chilean fruit exports. During the 1Q/2024, 1,016,891 tonnes of fresh fruit were exported, which represents an increase of 13% when compared to the same period of 2023. The national director of the Agricultural and Livestock Service, José Guajardo Reyes, said that “in the first three months of the year, we issued 60,483 phytosanitary certificates, which guarantee that Chilean fruit meets the requirements of the most demanding markets in the world”. (SAG)
Agricultural and Livestock Service announced that Chile can now be considered a Country Free from Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, a viral disease that exclusively affects pigs, causes significant impacts on production, and harms exports. (SAG)
The third phase of the Biocarbon Project, a partnership between the Government of Colombia and the World Bank, will count on US$50 million, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Jhenifer Mojica. “This investment will continue to accompany the development of the rice, sustainable livestock, cocoa, cashew, forestry and oil palm chains.” The project lasts five years, and aims to stimulate sustainable and low-carbon agricultural production. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Secretariat of Agriculture has declared that Mexico is free of the H5N2 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The diagnosis, prevention, control and eradication campaigns of mandatory notification avian influenza will be maintained, because the circulation of the subtype H5N2, of low pathogenicity, and H7N3, of high pathogenicity, still occurs in the country. (Sader)
Soybean harvest was estimated at 9.94 million tonnes for 2024, considering the normal harvest and off-season soybean, according to consulting firm StoneX, which has just entered the local market. The firm indicates that the planted area of the soybean crop (excluding the off-season crop) reached 3.04 million ha, with an average yield of 2.93 tonnes per ha. (StoneX Consulting)
2023 was a difficult year for Peru’s tangerine market, but 2024 is considered promising, especially in the case of late varieties, which should benefit from the temperatures predicted for the winter. Furthermore, prices on the global market increased by more than 14%. USA is the main destination for Peruvian tangerines, but exports were reduced by 33%, due to the redirection of shipments to Europe. (FreshFruit)
Corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) was detected in Uruguay, with a higher incidence in the North region. In Argentina, for example, the problem is very serious: in Tucumán it was responsible for reducing corn production by 70%. “In the south of Uruguay there are not so many complications, but in the north, from Paysandú upwards, there are farms with more problems”, said Diego Guigou, agricultural production manager at Agronegocios del Plata. (Agronegocios del Plata)
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