By Roberto Samora
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian agricultural areas were hit by frosts for a third day on Thursday, affecting corn, coffee, and sugarcane as well as produce for local markets such as beans, potatoes and tomatoes, according to consultancy Rural Clima.
In a note to clients, Rural Clima said frosts hit the west and north of Sao Paulo state, the Minas Gerais triangle, the southwest of Goias, and some areas of southern Minas Gerais state.
“It has affected coffee, sugarcane, pasture, potatoes, corn, beans and tomatoes,” Rural Clima meteorologist Marco Antonio dos Santos said.
The corn crop, possibly the most affected by this week’s frosts, may be reduced by 6 million tonnes, he added.
“We were expecting a second corn crop of around 62 to 65 million tonnes. Now we can surely say it will be below 60 million tonnes,” he said.
Parana, the second largest corn producing state in Brazil, was strongly hit by frost over the last two days, but not so much on Thursday. On Wednesday frosts hit most sugarcane areas in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest ethanol and sugar producing state.
The second corn crop in Brazil had already been strongly affected by the drought, which had reduced the potential crop by 20 million tonnes.
Santos added the frosts may affect local inflation over the coming weeks, as they hit areas growing basic food products such as potatoes and tomatoes.
The polar mass over central Brazil may lead to new frosts on Friday, Rural Clima added.
(Reporting by Roberto Samora; Writing by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Jan Harvey)
