Rio de Janeiro – Grain production in Brazil this year should be 6% greater than the 2010 crop, according to estimates disclosed this Tuesday (10th) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The April estimate of the Systematic Agricultural Production Survey points to a crop of 158.7 million tonnes, as against 149.7 million tonnes in 2010.
According to the estimate, the area to be harvested in 2011 is 48.6 million hectares, a 4.3% increase over the previous crop. The three main cultures of the country remain rice, maize and soy, whose combined crops account for 82.5% of the area to be harvested.
According to the April survey, the production of grain, leguminous and oleaginous plants will be larger in the South region, followed by the Midwest, Southeast, Northeast and North.
This Tuesday in Brasília, the National Supply Company (Conab) also disclosed an estimate for the grain crop. According to the state-owned company, Brazil should harvest 159.5 million in the 2010/2011 crop. The survey indicates that the record set in the last crop, of 149.2 million tonnes, should be surpassed by 6.9%.
The difference between the figures disclosed by the IBGE and the Conab is due to the periods surveyed. The institute surveys the crop from January to December, whereas the Conab uses the crop-year, which lasts from August to July.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
