BRASILIA, BRAZIL — Brazil’s grain production is expected to be mixed as weather impedes some and boosts others, according to an April 1 Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Dry conditions have caused the USDA to lower Brazil’s 2019-20 marketing year corn production to 100 million tonnes. The country’s domestic corn consumption is expected to slow as COVID-19 is impacting demand for corn ethanol. The USDA estimates a one-million-tonne reduction to 67 million tonnes in the 2019-20 marketing year.

Brazil’s corn exports are forecast to decrease 15% for marketing year 2019-20, to 34 million tonnes.

“Record exports of nearly 40 million tonnes in 2018-19 severely depleted stocks, while strong internal demand by the poultry and livestock sectors suggests that Brazil will consume a greater portion of the current crop,” the USDA said.

Brazil’s 2020-21 marketing year corn production is projected to hit 103 million tonnes with consumption also rising to 69 million tonnes.

The country’s milled rice production is estimated to tick up in the 2019-20 marketing year to 7.17 million tonnes. The USDA attributed favorable weather to the increase. The 2020-21 marketing year production is forecast to drop slightly to 7.07 million tonnes.

Brazil’s rice consumption forecast remains unchanged at 7.45 million tonnes.

The USDA’s wheat production for the 2019-20 marketing year is expected to hold steady at 5.15 million tonnes. However, Brazil’s 2020-21 wheat production is expected to rise. Due to expanded planting the USDA estimated an 8.7% increase in production to 5.6 million tonnes. In turn, wheat imports for marketing year 2020-21 were lowered to 7 million tonnes on the expectation of increased domestic production.