巴西和拉丁美洲 - Overview by AgriBrasilis (06/24– 06/30)

Government Harvest Plan for the 2023/24 season was announced on June 27^th. US$ 74.99 billion will be provided to medium and big farmers by June of 2024. Value shows an increase of approximately 27% compared to the previous season. Harvest Plan for family farming will reach US$ 16 billion, 34% more than in the previous season. (MAPA)

Confirmed the first case of avian flu in a domestic bird in the country, in the city of Serra, State of Espírito Santo. Since the entry of the virus in Brazil, on May 15^th, 53 outbreaks have already been detected. This case does not affect the status of the country as free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and does not impact trade. Consumption and export of poultry products remain safe. (MAPA)

Imports in excess caused a crisis in the milk chain in the State of Santa Catarina. Ranchers are quitting the activity in the State. Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State – FAESC is worried about the disappearance of family agriculture in dairy farming. FAESC’s vice-president Enori Barbieri said the increase in powdered milk imports in 2023 caused a “panic” in the market by undermining the competitiveness of small and medium-sized ranchers. Brazilian dairy imports from January to May of 2023 increased by 212% compared to the same period of 2022. Brazil has already imported 850 million L, mainly from Argentina and Uruguay. (FAESC)

China started the clearance of the Brazilian beef cargo retained in the ports. Cargos were retained because of an embargo – already suspended – because of an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, known as “mad cow disease”. “The meat cargos from the mad cow embargoes of February, China announced that they are allowed to enter. This means that US$ 510 million will enter the economy”, said the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro. (Ministry of Agriculture)

Former Minister of Agriculture, Alysson Paolinelli, died at the age of 86. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, Paolinelli was one of those responsible for creating the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation – Embrapa and for the technological revolution in the Cerrado biome, that transformed the region into a national agricultural power. (Abramilho)

Chilean walnut harvest shows first decrease in 20 years. Production will reach 170,000 tonnes, compared to 187,000 tonnes in the previous harvest. “When the harvest started, we received some news, such as the drop in production of the Serr variety by 50%, 60%, and even 70% in the Aconcagua region, because of climatic events such as frost”, according to Edmundo Valderrama, CEO of Agrisur. (Agrisur; Chilenut)

Worst flood in 30 years harms Chilean agriculture. Walnut, avocado and blueberry orchards are the most affected crops. High humidity can promote fungal infections in fruit plants. According to Jaime Otárola, a researcher at INIA, farmers should wait two or three days and spray fungicides only after the reduction of soil moisture. A state of catastrophe was declared in the areas most affected by the rains and at least 50,000 people are still without electricity in the country. (INIA)

Coffee exports increased 22% in May, compared to the same period of 2022. Were exported 185 thousand bags. According to the National Coffee Fund, during the past 12 months, the climatic variations have influenced the flowering and grain filling processes in the country’s coffee farming regions. In May, production reached 806 thousand bags, that represented a decrease of 21% compared to May of 2022. (FoNC)