SAO PAULO- Brazil's farmers had harvested 33% of the country's soybean area as of Thursday, against 24% a week earlier and 15% by the same time last year, but still faced widespread weather-related issues, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday.
The top grain-producing state of Mato Grosso has been hit by excessive rain, hurting soybean quality, while Brazil's southernmost states have been affected by hot, dry weather recently.
AgRural forecasts Brazil's 2021/22 soybean crop at 128.5 million tonnes, down 17 million tonnes from its initial forecast, but a new revision is expected in the coming days.
On corn, the consultancy said the planting of Brazil's second crop reached 53% of the area in the Center-South, well ahead of the 24% a year ago. However, fieldwork was also affected by excessive showers in Mato Grosso and by drought in the southern state of Parana.
Second corn is sowed after soybeans are harvested in the same areas, accounting for 70-75% of overall annual output.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo Editing by David Goodman) ((Gabriel.Araujo2@thomsonreuters.com; +55 11 5644 7745;))
