Jan 12, 2010
Soybean Farmers In Mato Grosso Planting More GMO Soybeans
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Mato Grosso planted 6% more are GMO soybeans in 2009-10 as compared to last year. According to the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics, approximately 48% of the soybean grown in the state are now genetically modified. While the total amount of GMO soybeans planted in the state is increasing, the trend is not uniform across the state.
The amount of GMO soybeans planted in the state depends on the extent of weed pressure and where the soybeans are shipped once they are harvested. In many areas of Mato Grosso soybean cultivation is a relatively new phenomenon and the amount of weed pressure is relatively light. In some of the newer production areas, once the original vegetation has been eliminated, it might be many years before weeds become a significant threat. When that is the case, farmers do not feel the need to pay royalties to Monsanto for the right to plant Roundup Ready soybeans.
Another factor that determines if farmers are going to use Roundup Ready soybeans is where the soybeans are sold once they are harvested. .Soybean farmers in western Mato Grosso ship most of their soybeans north to the Port of Itacoatiara, which is situation on the Amazon River. The majority of the soybeans from that port are shipped to European customers who will only accept conventional soybeans. The storage facilities at that port are not set up to keep conventional and GMO soybeans separate, so they will only accept conventional soybeans. If a farmer wants to grow GMO soybeans in western Mato Gross, they will need to be shipped to more distant ports at a higher transportation cost.
The advantage of Roundup Ready soybeans is that they offer more flexibility in controlling weeds and allows the farmer to plant his crop faster without having to stop to apply herbicides. But if there is an extended planting season with little weed pressure, there is no incentive to plant Roundup Ready soybeans. They don't yield more than conventional soybeans, they just make the management of the crop easier.