Brasília – At least 200.7 million tons of grain should be harvested in the 2014/2015 crop, as per a survey issued this Friday (10th) by Brazil’s National Supply Company (Conab, in Portuguese). The amount is 7.06 million tons higher (up 3.6%) from the previous crop’s 193.6 million tons of grain.
The new forecast is 1.1% higher than the previous grain production forecast Conab had released last month (198.54 million tons). The company has revised its estimates for cotton, peanuts, rice, beans, sunflower, castor seed, maize, soy, sorghum, oats, canola, rye, barley, wheat and triticale.
According to Conab, soy production is again the driver of grain production in the country, at a 9.5%, or 8.16 million ton increase. Total soy output should amount to 94.3 million tons. The estimated planted area for this crop is 57.33 million hectares, virtually the same as in the previous crop.
The maize production estimate is down 4.3%, or 1.36 million tons, from the past crop’s 31.65 million tons harvested. The seventh 2014/2015 grain crop survey was conducted from March 23rd to 27th.
IBGE
In Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) has also issued this Friday its Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production. The organization expects to 199.7 million tons to be harvested this year, up 0.1% from the estimate released last month.
The IBGE estimates production considering the calendar year, whereas Conab uses the crop-year, lasting from April to March of the following year.
According to IBGE, should its projections prove true, the country will see a 3.6% increase in production over 2014 for cereals, legumes and oilseeds. Output is expected to be up in two of the three leading grain crops: rice (0.9%) and soy (9.7%). On the other hand, maize output is expected to be down 3.7%.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
