Agricultural production
June estimate for 2023 shows record harvest of 307.3 million tonnes
July 13, 2023 09h00 AM | Last Updated: July 14, 2023 03h01 AM
Released today (13) by the IBGE, the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production reveals that the national harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds may hit a new record in 2023, adding up to 307.3 million tonnes. The figure is 16.8% (44.2 millon metric tons) above that in 2022 (263.2 million tonnes).
Against May, the estimate indicates an increase of 0.6% (1.9 million tonnes). From this total, 1.4 million refers to an increase in the output of corn, expected to hit a record, such as sotbeans, wheat and sorghum.
The area to be harvested ix expected to reach 76.9 million hectares, which means an increase of 5.1% (3.7 million hectares) from the area harvested in 2022. Against the previous month, the area to be harvested increased by 346,730 hectares (0.5%).
The main highlights of the 2023 harvest are the output estimates of soybeans, corn, wheat and sorghum, all of them hitting news records. The output of soybeans is expected to reach 148.4 million tonnes (an increase of 0.1%). As for corn, the estimate was 124.5 million tonnes (28.1 million tonnes of corn in the first crop and 96.3 million tonnes n the second crop). The output of rice was estimated at 10.0 million tonnes, that of wheat, at 10.6 million tonnes, that of upland cottonseed, at 6.9 million tonnes and that of sorghum, at 3.8 million tonnes.
“There are a number of positive factors: Except for Rio Grande do Sul, the climate has been good, mainly for second-crop products such as corn, which recorded an increase in production. Another factor is that the agricultural year started in the right period, without delay in theplanting of the summer crop, which made harvesting possible, at the right time. There was a good planting window for corn - 2nd crop, right after the harvest of the summer crop in January and February. That favored the harvest of corn -2nd crop which has been taking place in July and August. And, finally, the rise of international prices has led the producer to expand planting,” says Carlos Barradas, manager of the LSPA.
The output of wheat may also hit a record in case the good weather conditions remain. The country imports some wheat, but output has increased significantly due to the rise of international prices as a result of the war between Russia dna Ukraine, causing producers to invest more in technology and the expansion of planting. “But we still depend on the weather, because the El Niño is expected to cause droughts, mainly in the South of the country.”
Soybeans recorded slight increase in production, and that maintains the record estimate. The increase is due to the expansion of production of Tocantins in relation to May. “In the states of Matopiba, (Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia) planting of soybeans was delayed in relation to the rest of the country, and, as a result, they are more capable of changing production data. This month, Tocantins was the main one, and led to an increase of 6.6%,” Mr. Barradas says.
With a share of 30.9%, Mato Grosso leads national output of grain
Mato Grosso leads the national production of grains with a share of 30.9%, followed by Paraná (15.2%), Rio Grande do Sul (9.6%), Goiás (9.6%), Mato Grosso do Sul (8.9%) and Minas Gerais (5.9%). These states together accounted for 80.1% of the total. As for the participation of the Brazilian Major Regions, the distribution is as follows: Central-West (49.7%), South (27.1%), Southeast (9.5%), Northeast (8.6%) and North (5.1%).
In relation to the previous month, the main positive changes in production estimates occurred in Mato Grosso do Sul (1,344,621 t), Tocantins (305,207 t), Minas Gerais (123,674 t), Pará (91,192 t), Maranhão (27,045 t), Rondônia (27,020 t) and Espírito Santo (378 t). The negative changes took place in Ceará (- 3,051 t), Alagoas (-1,908 t), Rio de Janeiro (-305 t) and Amapá (-61 t).>
Launched in November 1972 aiming at addressing the demand of users for monthly short-term statistical information, the LSPA provides estimates of planted area, harvested area, amount produced and average yield of products selected based on criteria of economic and social importance for Brazil. It not only follows up each crop investigated in the calendar year of reference, from the intention to plant up to the end of the harvest, yet also the forecast of the harvest in the coming year, for which the months of October, November and December are surveyed. Please access the data at Sidra.
