Agência Brasil
São Paulo – The grain harvest in the southeastern state of São Paulo may reach 7.49 million tonnes, 3.2% more than the previous record. This is the estimate of the Institute of Agricultural Economy (IEA), together with the São Paulo State Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply (CATI).
Soy production alone should rise 21.42%, equivalent to 1.99 million tonnes and the cropland should total 740,870 hectares. The cotton cropland should also be increased by 29.39%, reaching 88,130 hectares, with forecasted production rising 22.41% over the previous harvest, reaching 219,900 tonnes.
Drought beans (produced between February and May) should have their offer reduced as the cropland has been reduced by 30%. According to technical analysis by the IEA, among the factors for this reduction are the lack of rain in the West of the state, and the presence of whitefly in the southeastern region, the largest producer. According to technicians, the pest appeared with the increased cultivation of soy. A 4.63% drop in maize production is also forecasted, totalling 4.416 million tonnes.
The second forecast for the 2003/2004 agricultural harvest, shows stability in the orange cultivation area, but with a 3.1% increase in production, exceeding 337.3 million crates, against the former expectation of 330.8 million crates. In the case of coffee, a 25.6% increase is expected, with 3.56 million bags processed. Another crop that should show growth, although not as much as coffee, is sugarcane, expected to rise 2.7%, to 234 million tonnes.
