Corn prices in Brazil continue to rise, driven by international movement in the market for this grain. According to market analysis by the International Center for Economic Analysis and Agricultural Market Studies (CEEMA), the average in Rio Grande do Sul reached R$ 53.98 per bag, while in the main local markets the product was traded at R$ 53.00 per bag, a significant increase compared to the R$ 50.00 recorded recently. In other Brazilian regions, prices varied between R$36.00 and R$56.00 per bag. On the Stock Exchange (B3), the close of trading on Wednesday (24) showed the main positions oscillating between R$57.75 and R$62.05 per bag.
At the same time, data from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) reveal that, until the end of the third week of April, Brazil exported 34,236 tons of corn, representing just 7.3% of the total exported in April of the previous year. These numbers reflect a 91.3% drop in average daily shipments compared to the same period in 2023. Between January and March this year, Brazilian corn exports totaled 7 million tons, compared to 9.4 million tons in the same period of 2023, according to data from Grão Direto.
Meanwhile, the National Supply Company (Conab) announced that the corn harvest is completely sown, with 24.2% of crops in vegetative development, 43.2% in flowering and 32.1% in grain filling. Regarding the summer harvest, Conab reports that 56.7% of the total area has already been harvested, although these numbers differ from private estimates. The most advanced states in harvesting are São Paulo (100%), Paraná (96%), Santa Catarina (90%), Rio Grande do Sul (82%), Minas Gerais (56%), Bahia (32.8%) and Goiás (6%).
In Paraná, according to the Department of Rural Economy (Deral), as of April 25, 18% of off-season crops were in the vegetative phase, 30% in flowering, 49% in fruiting and 3% in maturation. Regarding crop conditions, 69% were classified as good, 21% regular and 10% poor.
In Mato Grosso do Sul, the State Agriculture and Livestock Federation (Famasul) reported that 62% of off-season crops are in good condition, 18.5% regular and 19.5% poor. It is estimated that planting will reach 2.2 million hectares, a reduction of 5.8% compared to the previous year. The average final productivity is expected at 86.3 bags per hectare, representing a reduction of 14.2% compared to the previous year, resulting in an estimated final production of 11.4 million tons, a drop of 19.2% compared to the previous year. compared to 2023.
