Brazilian farmers have harvested about 12% of their second corn crop area in the Center-South region even as frosts are causing crop failure and output estimates are slashed, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday.

AgRural said bad weather led it to cut its forecast for second corn production in the Center South to 54.6 million tonnes, down from 60 million tonnes estimated in May. The consultancy also said harvesting is lagging last year’s pace as Brazilian second corn was planted later than in the previous season.

The second corn crop, representing the bulk of the country’s annual production of the cereal, is sown in the same areas as soybeans after the latter are harvested.

Total corn production in Brazil is now seen at 85.3 million tonnes, almost 17% below last year’s level, AgRural said citing weather issues affecting the crop, particularly the second corn crop which was first hit by drought and later by frosts in states like Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná.

Safras & Mercado, another agribusiness consultancy, said in a separate report on Monday that Brazilian farmers sold 49% of their estimated second corn production so far in the season, in line with the level of sales from 2020.

Safras projects production of 61.5 million tonnes of second corn and estimated almost 8% of the second corn crop had been harvested in the Center South, less than half the area harvested at this time last year.