Corn producers in Mato Grosso say they are optimistic about the second harvest, even with the rains delaying the soybean cycle and potentially making the cereal sowing window narrower. The forecast in the state is to plant 7.4 million hectares in the 2022/23 season, an increase of 3.7% compared to the last harvest.
According to the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea), the expectation for the second 2022/23 corn harvest is that 46.4 million tons of cereal will be harvested in the state.
In Sorriso (397 kilometers from Cuiabá), the municipality that grows the most corn, there are already planters pouring the seeds into the soil.
corn – bahia – conab
President of the Rural Union of Sorriso, Sadi Beledelli, comments that in the municipality corn is planted on the same day that the soybeans are harvested or the following day.
“It has to be, right. For us to take advantage of a good corn planting window. Corn is very important because it plays a role in the entire chain. The production of ethanol, the DDG that goes to the production of pigs, poultry, cattle raising, and transforms it into animal protein. So, I think it is important to have a good corn production that can provide the consumer with a good quality product at the end.”
Producers plan to increase area by 10%
In the Boa Esperança District, in Sorriso, even with the rains delaying the soybean harvest and, consequently, the planting of corn, there are those who intend to increase the area allocated to the cereal. This is the case of farmer Joelson Eugênio Zanatta, who should increase the area by 10% compared to the last harvest and cultivate 1.4 thousand hectares of corn.
“It has been raining a lot this year. It is hindering the applications a little and is delaying the soybean cycle by an average of three to four days. So, corn will be planted a little later this year. However, it was supposed to start planting this corn about three days ago. Today, with these ethanol plants, corn planting has become good,” says Zanatta.
Corn becomes a great ally for the producer’s income
Year after year, corn cultivation in Mato Grosso has been gaining ground on properties, becoming a great ally for the farmer’s income. According to the production sector, the technology of the cultivars has been fundamental in the performance of productivity, which helps to guarantee this income.
“Before, we sold corn for R$8, R$9. Today, we sell corn at other prices. Corn cultivation is treated in the business, its importance is the same as soybean cultivation. The technology that is implanted inside a grain of corn today is state-of-the-art. This technology, hybrids, has evolved a lot. In the past, what we expected from their production was to harvest 100 bags, 90 bags per hectare,” comments agronomist and sales representative Ederson Cleiton Peruzzolo. High-tech investment crop
According to farmer Cleiton Pase, the 2022/23 crop should be one of investment in high-tech cultivars. At least on his property, this will be the bet.
“We are already an average of ten days behind in the cycle due to this cloudy weather. We bought the pesticides, but we put off buying the seeds until now because we have no idea what cycle we will use for this corn. We are not increasing the area as much because this weather is not cooperating, but the investment in planted area is much higher than in previous years.”
Source: Canal Rural