Cotton Farming Is Emerging in the Chaco Region, in Paraguay
Shipments of corn to China to start in July. “They have confirmed to us that all the conditions are in place to move forward with shipments to China”, said Gustavo Idigoras, director of the Chamber of the Oilseed Industry and Cereal Exporter Center. “The Chinese market is growing, with 20 million tonnes of imports per year… Argentina has all the conditions to be a strong and reliable supplier of corn for animal feed”. (CIARA-CEC)
Farmers are increasing soybean sales, which were delayed, driven by higher global prices. Sales reached 4.2 million tonnes in the first three weeks of May. Even so, the Intercooperative Agricultural Federation published a report indicating that this is the lowest sale (in relative numbers) of soybeans in the last six years: in mid-May, only 34% of production was sold. Regarding volume, this is the highest number of tonnes sold in the last three years. (Government of Argentina; Coninagro)
Machinery and equipment industry’s revenue is expected to fall 7% in 2024, compared to a former estimated increase of 2.5%. Machine sales fell 20.1% in April, compared to the same period in 2023. “We came from a year of losses in 2023 and we expected even a small growth in investments in machines this year, but this is not happening”, stated Cristina Zanella, director of competitiveness, economics and statistics at the Brazilian Association of the Machinery and Equipment Industry. (Abimaq)
Poultry Organization of the State of Rio Grande do Sul reported the loss of 497,448 meat birds and 158,752 laying birds. Association of Dutch Cattle Farmers of Rio Grande do Sul estimates the death of around two thousand dairy cows, while the Association of Pig Farmers of Rio Grande do Sul estimates 12,600 pigs dead due to the floods. (Gadolando; ACSURS; OARS)
Total corn production in Brazil in 2023/24 is expected to reach 123.31 million tonnes, a drop of 2% when compared to the previous forecast, according to a survey by Safras & Mercado. The consulting firm considered the impacts of the drought in the States of Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo for the winter harvest. (Safras & Mercado)
Recent study by Embrapa Gado de Leite (Embrapa Milk Cattle) indicates that extreme heat causes significant losses in Brazilian dairy production. According to researcher Marcos Vinícius Silva, it is estimated that a cow can lose up to 15 kg of milk per lactation period due to heat stress, which represents a 25% reduction in production. (Embrapa)
Unium Group, formed by the Castrolanda, Frísia and Capal cooperatives, announced an investment of more than US$ 86.47 million in the construction of a new powdered milk factory in Castro, State of Paraná. In 2023, the group produced more than 1 billion L of milk, becoming the second largest producer in Brazil. (Unium Group)
Researchers develop technology that uses a yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to extend the shelf life of berries. During its metabolic process, the strain produces hydrogen sulfide, capable of preserving the quality of fruits and vegetables post-harvest and reducing losses due to spoilage. “We intend to extend the post-harvest period by up to seven days”, sayd Clara Núñez, quality analyst at Agro Frutillas San Pedro. (Agro Frutillas San Pedro)
AgriChile opened up its second hazelnut processing factory in Ñiquén, Ñuble Region, more than doubling its production capacity. Initial processing capacity is 40,000 tonnes of hazelnuts. (AgriChile)
Ministry of Agriculture launched the “Confianza Colombia” program to face the effects of the La Niña phenomenon in rural areas. “We are injecting resources from the national budget, approximately US$ 124.1 million, which aim to leverage credit and risk management as technical assistance measures…”, said the Minister of Agriculture, Jhenifer Mojica. (MinAgricultura)
National Association of Rice Industries warns of a possible 25% increase in the price of rice due to import taxes, losses in rice farms abroad and the exchange rate. (Aninsa)
From January to April of 2024, the country purchased 16.5 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds from abroad, a 20% increase when compared to the same period of the previous year, with 13.7 million. (ANAM; GCMA)
Mexico’s National Water Commission points out that the drought can cause delays in the planting of annual crops, as well as limited growth of crops or pastures and an increased risk of fires. In the northwest of the country, dams are at their lowest levels ever, with an average of 11%. (Conagua)
Cotton farming is emerging in the Chaco region, despite the lack of rain being a limiting factor. “The Chaco is the new cotton region par excellence. Cotton has returned and its renaissance is here, although this is a very complicated region. Obviously we have to see how to overcome its difficulties”, said Blas Zárate, member of the Cotton Chamber of Paraguay. (Cadelpa)
“For several years Argentina has been our main market for grain exports, with more than a 75% share”, said Hugo Pastore, executive director of the Paraguayan Chamber of Exporters and Traders of Cereals and Oilseeds. “They buy a lot from us, because the quality of Paraguayan grain is important to them”. (Capeco)
Minister of Agriculture of Uruguay, Fernando Mattos, argued against statements made by Minister Carlos Fávaro, from Brazil, about the rise of rice prices on the international market. “Uruguay does not speculate. Uruguay is a ‘price taker’, because the international rice market sets the price. This high level of prices has been occurring for a long time… Rightfully so, [Brazil] took the decision to lower the Common External Tariff. In this way, it seeks to balance supply… what we cannot accept is the statement that countries in the region are speculating on prices”. (Ministry of Agriculture of Uruguay)
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