Planting is almost finished (mid-October) in the western area of my state of Parana; that represents half of the state crop. Farmers are beginning to plant earlier and are doing a faster job than 10 years ago because it advances the planting of a second corn crop in early February. The frost season begins in late May. And, we also plant faster because of bigger and better machinery. Just recently, the National Bank for Economic Development (BNDE) in Brazil announced a line of credit for farmers to buy new machinery, payable over 10 years at 2.5% annual interest rate. It's part of an economic policy to boost industry jobs. As you can imagine, we are seeing an equipment rush toward bigger tractors, bigger planters and bigger combines.
展开▼
