São Paulo – Brazil should gain even more importance as a global food supplier up until 2021. So indicates the survey “2010/2011 – 2020/2021 Agribusiness Projections,” disclosed this Tuesday (14th) by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. The survey indicates that the country’s share of global poultry trade should rise from 44% to 49% during the period. Soybean should go from 31% to 33.2%; beef, from 28% to 30.1%; pork, from 10.1% to 12%; and maize, from 10% to 12%.
According to the minister of Agriculture, Wagner Rossi, Brazil will become the leading supplier of foodstuffs in the world. The minister spoke during a press conference, as reported by the Brazilian press. “We are the second leading international producer of food. We are moving closer towards the leadership, which currently belongs to the United States,” said Rossi. According to him, the good prices paid to growers have led the country to break record after record in agribusiness production.
The Brazilian production should cater to both an increase in domestic food consumption and growing exports. Exports of sugar should increase by 45.9% in 2010/2011 to 2020/2021, from 28.4 million tonnes to 41.4 million; coffee exports, should grow by 24.9%, from 33.7 million tonnes to 42.1 million tonnes; beef exports should grow by 29.4%, from 1.8 million tonnes to 2.3 million tonnes; foreign sales of poultry should rise by 33.7%, from 3.9 million tonnes to 5.2 million tonnes; maize exports should become 56.5% greater, from 9.1 million tonnes to 14.3 million tonnes.
“The country should continue producing food for our people and for other nations in the planet. That shows the importance and strength of the agricultural sector within the Brazilian economy,” said Rossi, according to material disclosed by the ministry. Brazil, according to him, is one of a handful of countries capable of increasing their production without compromising natural resources.
Meats and grain, according to the report, are the two sectors in which the country will be better able to increase its production and exports. The survey indicates that soybean production will increase by 25.9%, maize, by 24%, beef, by 24% and poultry, by 30%. The survey points out that Brazil will boast ever-increasing crops and that more than an increase in planted area, this expansion will stem from an increase in productivity. In terms of grain, the crop should grow by 23%, whereas the planted area should only increase by 9.5%.
According to the ministry, the region that should see the greatest expansion in agriculture and livestock will be the area known as “Matopiba,” which comprises the south of the state of Maranhão, the north of Tocantins, the south of Piauí and the northwest of Bahia. The ministry forecasts that production in the region should go from 13.3 million tonnes of grain, in 2010, to 16.6 million tonnes early next decade. The planted area should grow from 6.4 million hectares to 7.5 million.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
