EN 
PT_BR 
After rising in April, corn prices in Chicago fell again in the first half of May, with good progress in planting in the United States. In the domestic market, after the strong rise in March, May is heading towards the second consecutive monthly drop in prices, with the good outlook for the development of the 2nd harvest.
After the sharp drop in March, April marked a recovery in the external price of corn, with an increase of 4.6% in Chicago, to US$$ 4.75/bushel. Despite the tariff imbroglio, American corn remained the most competitive in the world, which continued to attract external demand. In the first half of May, prices recovered all the increase, with a drop of 5.5%, to US$$ 4.49/bushel. The month of May continued with good weather conditions in the American grain belt, allowing for rapid progress in planting the crop. With the favorable weather and accelerated planting, the expectation is for a large cereal harvest in the United States.
Photo: Guilherme Viana
In Brazil, despite the increase in Chicago, prices in April fell by 6% in Campinas, to R$ 83.59/bag. Prices began to decline in light of signs of good production for the second crop. Contrary to what precipitation maps projected, rainfall in April occurred in good volumes in most corn-producing areas. In the first half of May, prices continued to fall, with expectations of a large harvest for the second crop. The depreciation in the first fifteen days of the month was 7.6% in the same market, to R$ 77.20/bag.
Around 90% of the 2nd harvest crops are in the reproductive phase (flowering and grain filling), according to Conab, and more than 80% of the crops in Brazil are in good to excellent conditions. The risk becomes cold, with the entry of more frequent polar air masses from now on and the risk of frost in Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo.
