Brazil sets record for grain production

In Brazil, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) has announced the results of the 2011 national grain harvest, revealing that the national cereal, pulse and oilseed harvest yielded 159.9 million tons over the year, which is 6.9 percent higher than the record harvest obtained in 2010 of 149.6 million tons, and 0.2 percent higher than the November 2011 estimate of 348,177 tons.

Brazil’s 2011 grain harvest area of 48.7 million hectares is an increase of 4.7 percent from the harvested area in 2010, and an increase of 0.2 percent (39, 305 hectares) from November 2011. The cultivation of rice, corn and soybeans – which together represent 90.3 percent of the volume of grain production – accounts for 82.4 percent of that total harvested area. In comparison to the previous year, there was an increase in harvested areas of 1.7 percent (rice), 3.5 percent (corn) and 3.3 percent (soybeans); and an increase in production by 19.0 percent (rice), 0.1 percent (corn) and 9.2 percent (soybeans).

In December 2011, IBGE also announced estimates for the 2012 grain harvest area and grain production; noting that the production of cereals, pulse and oilseeds is expected to yield 160.3 million tons in 2012, which is 0.3 percent higher than the 2011 grain harvest.

The regional breakdown of cereal, pulse and oilseed production in 2011 is as follows:

·         South: 67.6 million tons (up 5.3 percent year-on-year)
·         Central West: 56.0 million tons (up 6.7 percent year-on-year)
·         Southeast: 17.2 million tons (up 0.6 percent year-on-year)
·         Northeast: 14.7 million tons (up 25.1 percent year-on-year)
·         North: 4.3 million tons (up 7.6 percent year-on-year)

As forecasted, the state of Paraná led national grain production, with a 19.7 percent share; followed by Mato Grosso (19.5 percent share) and Rio Grande do Sul (18.5 percent share).