OREANDA-NEWS. February 03, 2015. Brazil will produce 93.2 million tonnes of soybeans from the 2014/15 crop now being harvested, down from 96.1 million tonnes previously, because of dry weather in key growing areas, a crop tour sponsored by a local newspaper reported on Monday.

The Expedicao Safra tour funded by the Curitiba-based Gazeta do Povo newspaper recently sent agronomists and technicians into areas that account for half of Brazil's soybean output.

The tour's forecast falls in line with other estimates of the crop by independent analysts.

Signs of the adverse weather that delayed planting or hurt young plants in recent months was seen principally in the grain states of Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and part of Parana, Epedicao Safra said in a report.

Pests also contributed to the lower forecast. Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's No. 3 soybean producer and southernmost state, might still show excellent output from its crop this season and offset some of the lost potential from other regions in the grain belt, the tour group's coordinator Giovani Ferreira said.

Rio Grande do Sul got abundant rains during the planting and developmental stages of its crop. Harvest there will only likely pick up later in February or March.