Record output of soybean and corn lead to a harvest estimate 29.2% bigger than in 2016
June 08, 2017 09h01 AM | Last Updated: July 18, 2017 04h06 PM
The estimated grain production in 2017, revised in May, points to an output of 238.6 million metric tons, 29.2% more than in 2016. The main items contributing to this result are soybean and corn, both with a record output expected for this year. The estimated output for soybean is 113.9 million metric tons, or 47.7% of the national overall. Corn, in turn, recorded an increase of 52.3% over the 2016 figure and is expected to hit 97.0 million metric tons.
Soybean benefited mainly from the increase of average yield by hectare, as a result of favorable climate conditions. Mato Grosso (27.0%) and Paraná (17.2%) are the biggest producers in the country, but it was Rio Grande do Sul, the third one in the ranking, with 16.3% of the national overall, which benefited the most from this scenario.
Carlos Alfredo Guedes, manager of IBGE's Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production, explains the increase in the output of corn: “The dry period in 2016 led to a smaller amount harvested, and that led to rise of prices, consequently stimulating planting this year. In 2017 rainfall kept a steady pace, and productivity by hectare increased. ” The supervisor of agricultural surveys in Paraná, Jorge Mryczka, highlights that, in spite of the record harvest, local producers are worried: “Parana may still face frosts in July, a risk that does not exist in Mato Grosso, for instance. ” Carlos Alfredo Guedes adds that, in the Central West Region, there is another possibility: “The cerrado area there is usually very dry from April on. For this reason, producers from Mato Grosso start soybean planting sooner, so that they can also produce milk during the rainy season in the same year.”
