São Paulo – The combined production value of the major Brazilian crops this year should be R$ 270 billion (US$ 136.5 billion) this year, according to projections released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. The sum, known as Gross Production Value (GPV), will be up 9.8% from last year if the estimate proves true. In 2012, the value was R$ 246.2 billion. The GPD is the sum of the values of the country’s main crops.
The calculation considers the March crop surveys of the National Supply Company (Conab) and the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), as well as prices paid to producers. Because the index tracks the performance of crops throughout the year, it is adjusted based on modifications in prices and in the monthly output estimates from the Ministry’s strategic management advisory.
According to the Ministry, the production value of most products surveyed will increase. The GPV of rice will be up 7.5%, banana will be up 6.5%, sugarcane will be up 9.5%, beans, 17%, tobacco, 14.4%, oranges, 24.4%, cassava, 1.3%, maize, 12.8%, and the GPV of soy will be up 21.8%, among other products.
“Some crops, such as beans, maize and soy, could have fared even better barring weather issues, drought, or excess rainfall during the crops’ cycles,” explains the Ministry’s Strategic Management coordinator, José Garcia Gasques, according to a press release.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
