Crop estimate falls over 2017, but is the second biggest in time series
February 08, 2018 09h00 AM | Last Updated: February 08, 2018 02h52 PM
The first estimate for 2018 for the national crop of cereals, legumes and oilseeds showed a reduction of 6.0% in relation to the previous year - going from 240.6 million metric tons in 2017 to 226.1 million in 2018. Despite the decrease, the estimate is the second highest in the time series started in 1975. The information is part of the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA), relative to the January, released today by the IBGE.
According to IBGE’s manager of Agriculture, Carlos Alfredo Guedes, the good 2017 crops were favored by rainfalls, which were abundant and well distributed across plantations. The planting of the 2018 crop began a little later due to the delay of the rainy season. "The planting periods are chained today, that is, soon after the soybean harvest, the planting of the second corn crop is already underway. As there was a delay with soybeans, corn planting can be delayed too", he explains.
The IBGE researcher adds that, besides weather issues, it is also important to consider the economic factor. "In 2017, by the time of planting, corn prices, for example, were high. This did not happen this year, causing producers to reduce the area of corn cultivation. "
In regional terms, there was a reduction in bean crops in Paraná, due to the excessive rainfall that harmed the harvest. Piauí, Maranhão and Tocantins, considered as new agricultural frontiers, increased the cultivated area and improved the yield of soybean and corn.
