AgRural cuts Center-South Brazil's 2019-20 second corn output forecast to 65.3 million mt

New Delhi — Brazil-based agriculture consultancy AgRural cut its Center-South Brazil 2019-20 second corn crop output forecast for the third time in a row to 65.3 million mt from 66.7 million mt projected in May.

The consultancy said that the cut in corn production in Brazil is due to irregular rainfall since March.

The Center-South region contains the producing states of Parana, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goias.

Last season, the second, or safrinha, corn crop in CS Brazil totaled 69.3 million mt, AgRural said in the report.

"Although very welcome rains have been recorded in the last three weeks in several producing areas of the Central-South, they only stopped the losses, without reversing the losses already consolidated during the dry season," the report said.

The new forecast, combined with national agricultural agency Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento's, or Conab's, figures for the north or northeast regions, puts the country's entire 2019-20 safrinha crop estimate at 69.4 million mt, down from 73.2 million mt in 2018-19, according to the report.

AgRural does not prepare estimates for corn grown in the northeast region.

Brazil's first corn crop is planted during September-December and harvested in February-May, while the safrinha crop is planted in February-March and harvested in June-July.

As of June 4, 1% of the corn planted area of the Center-South was harvested as against 5% a year ago, it said.

Brazil's total corn production is seen at 96.4 million mt in 2019-20, compared to 100 million mt in 2018-19, AgRural said.