RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The planting of "safrinha" corn in central-south Brazil in the 2023/24 season is at the fastest pace in history in the country's main producing region, which is good news for production prospects , which had caused more concern previously, assessed this Monday AgRural.

The "safrinha", as the second harvest of the cereal is known, the most voluminous in the country, had already been planted in 27% of the estimated area for the center-south until Thursday last week, a jump compared to the 11% from the previous week and also compared to the 11% seen a year ago, according to data from the consultancy.

Anticipating the "safrinha", sown after the soybean harvest, is important because as winter enters, rainfall decreases in the Central-West. Therefore, the sooner the crop is implemented, the lower the chance of crops suffering from a lack of humidity in the country's main producing region, recalled AgRural analyst Adriano Gomes.

"The sooner the better," he said.

For southern Brazil, an early cycle reduces the chances of plantations being hit by frosts ahead.

For much of the second harvest in the center-south, the ideal is for planting to be carried out by the end of February, but some regions can still sow seeds until March 10-15, he added.

Based on the latest data, AgRural is reviewing planted area figures for its clients this week, which may be released next week.

The National Supply Company (Conab) updates its harvest figures next Thursday.

So far, Conab is working with a 4.5% reduction in the area of the second Brazilian harvest, to 16.4 million hectares, with lower prices being cited as a discouraging factor -- the second corn harvest usually accounts for around 75% of the total cereal harvest.

The AgRural analyst said that harvest prospects have varied depending on prices and climate concerns.

He recalled that, in November and December, the delay in soybean planting, especially in Mato Grosso, raised concerns about the corn window.

"However, the hot and dry climate that caused the soybean harvest to fail also advanced its cycle and this freed up space for corn planting without delay", he highlighted.

Gomes also mentioned the ebb and flow of prices.

"We saw corn prices rise at the turn of the year. With better prices, some of the producers decided to plant more area than they had initially planned", said the specialist, remembering that now prices are retreating "with the expectation of a good window for the cereal and producer not reducing the entire area that the market expected".

In early January, Mosaic, the leader in fertilizer sales in Brazil, projected to Reuters growth in demand for fertilizers in the country with optimism about the planting of the second corn crop after the return of rain to the northern regions of the country.

SOY ALERT

Brazil's 2023/24 soybean harvest reached 16% of the estimated area as of last Thursday, compared to 11% a week earlier and 9% in the same period last year, AgRural said this Monday.

According to the consultancy, the index continues to be driven by Mato Grosso and Paraná, and is the second highest ever recorded at this time of year, behind only the 19% of the 2018/19 harvest.

"The combination of hot weather and little rain in later areas, especially in the southern region of the country, raised the alarm for producers in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and part of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. These conditions, if persist throughout February, could result in productivity losses", stated AgRural in a report.

A good harvest in Rio Grande do Sul is important to compensate for part of the losses caused by drought and heat in states like Mato Grosso.

The first, or summer, corn crop was 17% harvested in the center-south until last week, according to AgRural, compared to 12% in the previous week and 10% in the same period last year.