Brasilia – Even with the current climate problems, technicians at the Ministry of Agriculture believe the 2013/2014 harvest will reach the record landmark of 200 million tons. In the fourth harvest study carried out by the National Food Supply Company (Conab), released this Thursday (09) in Brasilia, the forecasts pointed at 196.7 million tons, also a record, but the soy harvest may help improve this result further.
“There is an increase in soy productivity. As soon as this grain’s harvest is over, there will be an increase in the forecasts released. We may thus reach 200 million tons. This is very important for us. It is a significant number,” said the minister of Agriculture, Antonio Andrade. In his evaluation, soy is a strong factor for the result, and it is exported at “remunerating” prices, which means the productivity increases, with the assurance of an exporting market.
For the minister, the result shows that agribusiness grows exponentially in the country, gaining space both in the internal as the external markets. According to Andrade, grain production has rendered the country more respected, proving that the measures Brazil has taken have brought results, such as an increase in productivity.
“When we launched the Harvest Plan, we aimed to reach 190 million tons. We surpassed that expectation and reached 197 million. Now, we are working hard to reach 200 million tons.”
The harvest study figure of 196.7 million tons represents an increase by 5.2% in relation to the last harvest, which registered at 186.9 million tons. In case of soy crops, there was an increase by 10.8% and an estimated production of 90.3 million tons for the current harvest.
Rice crops had an increase by 5.1%, reaching 12.4 million tons, followed by beans (first harvest), with an increase by 35.6%, going from 964,600 tons to 1.3 million tons. The product is in harvesting phase in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. Corn (first harvest), the second greatest crop in the country, dropped by 5.9%.
The total area used in farming, according to Conab, may reach 55.39 million hectares, an increase by 4% in relation to the planted area in the previous harvest. Here, once again the stars are the soy crops, with an increase in planted area by 6.6%, going from 27.7 million to 29.6 million hectares. “We hope our soy production reaches 95 million tons, placing Brazil as the greatest producer and exporter in the world,” said the minister.
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
