Brazilian exports of agribusiness products reached US$ 13.38 billion
After several months with the official dollar quoted at ARS $350, the Central Bank of Argentina announced changes in the exchange rate scheme, with the aim of complying with requests from the International Monetary Fund. After November 15th, the official dollar exchange rate will no longer be fixed and a controlled exchange rate adjustment scheme or “crawling peg” will be adopted. The dollar is expected to reach ARS$ 381.8 by the end of November and ARS$ 526.4 by the end of December, which represents devaluations of 9% and 50%, respectively. (Central Bank of Argentina)
Argentina’s Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, said he plans to renegotiate the country’s deal with the International Monetary Fund if he wins the next presidential election. The last debate between the presidential candidates, Sergio Massa and Javier Milei, took place on November 12th in the auditorium of the Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires. (National Electoral Chamber)
National Agricultural Labor Commission announced an increase in the minimum wage for agricultural workers through 12 resolutions (252/2023 to 263/2023), published in the Official Gazette of Argentina. In the case of the provinces of Mendoza and San Juan, the minimum remuneration for apricot, raspberry, peach and garlic pickers should be US$ 35 per day, for example. For people working on garlic farms, the guaranteed monthly salary will be US$ 845.82, etc. (Ministry of Economy)
Brazilian exports of agribusiness products reached US$ 13.38 billion in October 2023, which is 2.3% lower than in the same period of 2022. The value corresponded to 45.4% of total exports. (MAPA)
Due to adverse weather conditions, soybean planting slowed down, especially in the State of Mato Grosso. To date, 48.4% of the total estimated area has been planted, compared to 57.5% in the same period in 2022. Delay in planting increases uncertainty about obtaining a full harvest, while forecasts of below-average rainfall for the next two weeks may continue to hamper planting. (Conab)
Raízen can reach sugarcane crushing of 85 million tonnes in the 2023/24 season, depending on weather conditions, said the company’s CEO, Ricardo Mussa. According to Mussa, some of the company’s industrial plants are already stopping their processing for 2023/24, but the total volume of the harvest will depend on the weather in the first half of December. (Raízen)
National Institute of Meteorology has issued an emergency alert because of the heat wave affecting Brazil. Extreme temperatures have already compromised the coffee harvest of 2024, and losses could extend until 2025. “This is very worrying and it is happening at a very bad time, of initial fruit development… We could see a reduction in fruit sizes, and the scalding of the plant leaves reduces the photosynthetic area and will also reduce fruit and plant growth…” said Alysson Fagundes, researcher at Procafé. (Inmet; Fundação Procafé)
Lack of rain is causing delays in the soybean and corn harvest. According to João Augusto Birkhan, CEO of SimConsult, a commodity pricing platform, “the most sensible action at this moment is to not sell soybean and corn until the market is favorable“. (SimConsult)
Government has fined farmers more than US$ 720 thousand and embargoed 1,195.9 hectares of illegally deforested forests in the State of Tocantins. Teams from the Instituto Natureza do Tocantins inspected 18 farms and identified illegal deforestation in areas meant for preservation. (Naturatins)
Brazil has opened 57 new markets to export agricultural products in the last 10 months. Highlights were: beef and pork to Mexico and the Dominican Republic, respectively, in addition to the authorization for the entry of Brazilian cotton into Egypt, and papaya fruits into Chile. (MAPA)
Brown rot blossom blight disease, caused by the fungi Monilia laxa and Monilia fructicola, is affecting cherries at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. The disease is characterized by widespread death of flowers, wounds on branches, and soft rot of fruits. The fungi are being favored by the unusual rains during spring. (Premium fruits)
29 night brigades will be deployed between the regions of Coquimbo and Magalhães to help against forest fires. For this 2023 – 2024 fire season, the budget will exceed US$ 166.5 million, twice the amount of the previous year. (Conaf)
Special Mixed Budget Committee of the National Congress approved an increase in the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget for 2024. “We approved the budget for the Ministry of Agriculture, which means an increase of 5.4% in resources to support, mainly, the strategy to combat forest fires…”, said the undersecretary of agriculture, Ignacia Fernández. (Ministry of Agriculture)
According to Jorge Bedoya, president of the Colombian Farmers Society, there are 12 million people living in the country’s rural areas, and more than 43 million hectares of agricultural frontier. According to Bedoya, 84% of rural workers in Colombia are working informal jobs, which is higher than the country’s rate of 50%. (SAC)
Mexico has imported 55% of the basic grains it consumed from January to September of 2023. During the first nine months, the country harvested more than 20 million tonnes of corn, beans, rice, wheat, sorghum and soybeans. The population’s consumption in the period reached almost 45 million tonnes. Cereal imports, led by corn, grew 6.4% when compared to 2022. (Agricultural Markets Consulting Group)
USA officially reopens the market for Paraguayan beef after 25 years. After December the country will be able to start exports. “The USDA’s approval is the result of the hard work and dedication of Paraguayan farmers, as well as compliance with international quality and food safety standards”, said the country’s president, Santiago Peña. Conditions for permission include imports from regions without foot-and-mouth disease in the last 12 months and inspection of animals before and after slaughter. Exports are estimated at 6,500 tonnes per year. (Ministry of Agriculture; USDA)
Climatic conditions have harmed the Peruvian table grape harvest. Exports are expected to fall by 9% in 2023/24, when compared to the previous harvest, reaching just 64.9 million 8.2 kg boxes. According to the Association of Table Grape Farmers and Exporters of Peru, the intense heat caused “shorter phenological cycles, advancing the harvest and reducing yields”. (Provid)
Uruguay sent a container with 11 tonnes of carbon-neutral Black Angus beef to Sweden for the first time. “Uruguay is beginning to be better valued on the international market, not only for the quality of its main export product, but also for the attributes of an increasingly sustainable agricultural production, which takes into account the country’s natural ecosystems, biodiversity and soils”, said Federico Perazza, Uruguayan ambassador to Sweden. (Globe Foods)
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