Rio de Janeiro – The Brazilian grain crop should reach 164,500 tonnes in 2012, 2.8% greater than that obtained in 2011 (160.1 million tonnes) and 0.7% greater than estimated in July (163.3 million tonnes). The estimate is in the Systematic Study of Agricultural Production (LSPA) for August, disclosed on Thursday (6) by the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
The 49.5 million hectares of land to be harvested represent growth of 1.6% over 2011 and 0.2% over the estimate in the previous month. Rice, maize and soy, which together represent 91.3% of Brazil’s production of grain, leguminous and oleaginous cultures, answer to 85.1% of the harvest area: as against the previous year, rice had its area reduced by 13.4%, while maize and soy had 11.1% and 3.8% growth in area, respectively. Regarding production, that of maize rose 29.3%, but those of rice and soy suffered reductions of 14.9% and 12%, in comparison with 2011.
Still according to the IBGE, among the great regions, the Midwest has production of 70.8 million tonnes of grain; the South, 56.8 million tonnes, the Southeast, 19.2 million tonnes, the Northeast, 13.2 million tonnes and the North, 4.5 million tonnes.
In comparison with the previous crop there was growth in the North, 3%, Southeast, 11.4%, and Midwest, 26.2%, and reductions in the South, 16.2%, and Northeast, 9.3%.
In the current evaluation, the leadership in national production of grain is with Mato Grosso, with participation of 24.6%, followed by Paraná, with 18.9%, and Rio Grande do Sul, with 12%. Added, these three states represent 55.5% of domestic production.
Of the 26 products selected, 14 presented growth in production as against the previous year, specially maize in the second crop (74.4%), castor seeds (61.5%), beans in grain in the first crop (36.7%), hulled peanuts in the first crop (25.6%), second crop potatoes (20.2%), Arabica coffee in grain (16.1%), wheat in grain (13.8%) and oats in grain (12.8%).
The LPSA is a monthly research for follow up of the main agricultural produce and the information is collected from city and regional councils.
*Translated by Mark Ament
