The planting of Brazil’s 2021/22 soybean crop reached 94% of the estimated area as of Thursday and is progressing well in most of the country, although a recent lack of rains has put farmers in some Southern states on alert, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday.

According to AgRural, national planting was up 4 percentage points from the previous week and remains ahead of the 90% that was planted at the same point in 2020/21.

Fieldwork in southern states such as Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, however, is being affected by drought, it said, adding that Mato Grosso do Sul and Sao Paulo face the risk of potential losses due to the drier weather.

Rains came in below the historical average in November, and forecasts for the first half of December are also pessimistic in these states, AgRural said.

Even though there are some one-off problems related to lower humidity and higher temperatures, farmers are watching for possible problems with the germination of soybeans, according to the consultancy.

“On the other hand, the crop is progressing really well in the rest of the country. Harvest is expected to begin around Christmas in some Mato Grosso areas,” said AgRural, which currently sees Brazil’s 2021/22 soybean crop reaching 144.3 million tonnes.

For the country’s first 2021/22 corn crop, AgRural said planting reached 94% of the forecast area in the center-south region, compared with 93% in the previous week and 96% a year earlier.

It noted that Rio Grande do Sul still faces potential losses as hot, dry weather is forecast to continue during this month. It could also affect some corn areas in Santa Catarina and Parana, AgRural said.