El Nino seen disrupting rains in Brazil crop zones
Date: 20-Sep-02
Country: BRAZIL
Regular rainfall is crucial for Brazil's farm industry in
spring, which begins on Sept 23. The main grain crops such
as soy and corn are planted and massive coffee and orange
crops are flowering.
In its spring extended outlook, INMET said the warming of
surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of
Peru, known as El Nino, would result in warmer than average
temperatures throughout Brazil.
"The consequences of a 1.5 to 2 degree Celsius anomaly in
the surface of the Pacific Ocean should begin to be felt in
Brazil from October on," Expedito Rebello, head of INMET's
applied meteorology division, said in a statement.
Aside from the hotter temperatures across the country in the
coming months, El Nino should bring "great irregularity in
the distribution of rainfall" in the crop-rich southeast and
central-west farming regions, INMET said.
The center-west is the top soy producing region and the
South-East produces almost all of the country's coffee,
sugar cane and orange crops, of which Brazil is the world's
leading producer and exporter.
INMET also said the south would see "above normal rainfall".
The region is an important producer of soy and corn. Excess
rains can cause flooding and crop losses.
Catastrophic weather in the past few months around the
world, including severely cold weather in Peru, drought in
the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and flooding
in Asia and Europe has been blamed on shifts in global
weather patters believed to be trigged by El Nino.
INMET said the south of Brazil could also experience late
frosts in October, unusual for the spring season, and the
Amazon region of the north could see shortages in rain.
