The national production of cereal, legumes and oilseeds was 120.525 million tons in 2004, 3.65% less than in the previous harvest (125.099 million tons).

National harvest in 2004 was 120.5 million tons

The national production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds was 120.525 million tons in 2004, 3.65% less than in the previous harvest (125.099 million tons). The result was, partially, a result of the influence of adverse climatic conditions on the main crops. In relation to 2003, corn crops had the worst performance, facing a reduction of 13.5% (6.520 million tons). Although the area planted with soybeans was increased by 16.5%, production fell by 4.6% (2.367 million tons). Despite these figures, the survey Municipal Agricultural Production of Cereals, Legumes and Oilseeds, by IBGE, shows that soybeans and corn represented more than three-fourths of the 2004 harvest. This year, the production of soybean accounted for 41.11% of the national harvest, or 49.552 million tons; corn crops accounted for 36.69%, that is, 41.806 million tons.

 

The highlight of the 2004 harvest was upland cotton (herbaceous). Due to its good prices on the market, the production of this item grew by 72.7% in comparison with 2003, and there was growth of 61.4% in planted area. Still in the same comparison, the stimulus to the harvesting of castor beans for the production of "biodiesel" caused an increase of 64.9% in planting.

Table 1. Planted and harvested areas, amount produced, average yield and contribution to overall production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds in decreasing order of amount produced - Brazil 2004.

 

Main Products

Planted Area

(ha)

Harvested Area

(ha)

Amount Produced

(t)

Average Yield

(kg/ha)

Contribution to overall production total (%)

Soybeans (grain)

21,597,218

21,534,868

49,552100

2,301

41.113

Corn (grain)

12,859,009

12,404,938

41,806,335

3,370

34.687

Rice (in the husk)

3,774,211

3,733,146

13,276,841

3,556

11.016

Wheat (grain)

2,802,378

2,798,728

5,745,941

2,053

4.767

Seed cotton (herbaceous)

1,159,609

1,149,972

3,798,254

3,302

3.151

Beans (grain)

4,323,347

3,976,230

2,965,484

745

2.460

Sorghum (grain)

940,771

932,461

2,163,247

2,319

1.795

Oats (grain)

340,706

338,656

442,937

1,307

0.368

Barley (grain)

141,324

141,274

392,490

2,778

0.326

Peanuts (grain)

105,405

104,472

236,433

2,263

0.196

Castor Beans (berry)

174,593

171,620

137,976

803

0.114

Rye (grain)

3,427

3,427

4,354

1,270

0.004

Seed cotton (arboreous)

7,105

7,064

2,902

410

0.002

Total - Brazil

48,229,103

47,296,856

120,525,294

-

100.000

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Agropecuária, Produção Agrícola Municipal, 2004.

 

Graph 1. Change of Production of Cereals, Legumes and Oilseeds - 2004/2003

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Agropecuária, Produção Agrícola Municipal, 2004.

Sorriso is the highlight of the 2004 harvest

Among the 10 major producers of the items analyzed by this survey, of which Sorriso is the main highlight, seven belonged to the state of Mato Grosso. Besides being the major producer of soybeans, this municipality also leads the production of corn, is the fourteenth most important producer of upland cotton, the sixteenth of rice, the twenty-sixth of sorghum, the twenty-eighth of castor beans and the eighty-seventh of beans. According to IBGE estimates for 2004, the population of the municipality of Sorriso is 46,023 inhabitants. In 2004, this municipality produced 2.252 million tons, 75% of which were soybeans. Similar to Sorriso are the municipalities of Sapezal (MT), São Desidério (BA), Jataí (GO), Nova Mutum (MT), Campo Novo do Parecis (MT), Primavera do Leste (MT), Tapurah (MT), Rio Verde (GO) and Diamantino (MT).

Corn was the main crop in the Southeast region. Corn and beans were the leaders in the Northeast region and soybeans had a similar performance in the South and Central-West regions, as well as in the states considered agricultural frontiers, such as Tocantins, Bahia and Piauí. Although corn presented the biggest planted area in Piauí, soybeans is the crop with the biggest production (388.199 tons) in the state, with an average yield of 2 491 kg/há. This figure is above the national average, which was 2,301 kg/ha.

Table 2. Main crops in each state and major producers in 2004.

 

 

FU

State information

Municipal Information

Crops

with biggest harvested area (ha)

Harvested Area (ha)

Production (t)

Major producing municipality

Harvested Area (ha)

Amount Produced (t)

RO

Corn

120,686

240,380

Vilhena

12,000

38,400

AC

Corn

43,473

68,252

Plácido de Castro

6,143

12,286

AM

Corn

12,902

24,956

Apuí

2,800

6,720

RR

Rice

25,845

136,630

Pacaraima

8,730

54,950

PA

Rice

297,065

636,645

Santarém

59,000

187,200

AP

Rice

2,760

3,338

Itaubal

1,550

2,474

TO

Soybeans

253,466

652,322

Pedro Afonso

37,000

99,900

MA

Rice

516,740

733,484

Santa Luzia

14,000

17,500

PI

Corn

274,588

134,114

Ribeiro Gonçalves

2,467

13,555

CE

Corn

655,677

379,837

Mauriti

19,010

21,359

RN

Beans

90,584

42,489

Santa Cruz

3,500

1,645

PB

Beans

186151

62,018

Araruna

3,700

3,120

PE

Beans

263,.003

93,760

São João

10,900

8,742

AL

Beans

75,421

37,924

Arapiraca

6,000

3,600

SE

Corn

132,389

91,560

Simão Dias

14,000

49,000

BA

Soybeans

821,270

2,365,290

São Desidério

256,543

738,844

 

MG

 

Corn

 

1,319,380

 

5,952,172

 

Unaí

 

46,000

 

292,800

ES

Corn

50,147

129,579

Linhares

4,680

14,040

RJ

Corn

11,442

24,852

Itaperuna

1,892

3,784

SP

Corn

1,073,620

4.647,240

Itapeva

22,462

139,200

 

PR

 

Soybeans

 

4,007,099

 

10,221,61

 

Cascavel

 

82,200

 

227,084

SC

Corn

783,723

3,257,770

Abelardo Luz

15,000

101,250

RS

Soybeans

3,968,530

5,541,714

Tupanciretã

116,780

175,170

MS

Soybeans

1,796,433

3,282,705

São Gabriel do Oeste

125,000

390,000

MT

Soybeans

5,263,428

14,517,91

Sorriso

540,867

1.688,120

GO

Soybeans

2,591,084

6,091,676

Jataí

223,200

669,600

DF

Soybeans

50,383

134,523

Brasília

50,383

134,523

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Agropecuária, Produção Agrícola Municipal, 2004.

 

In 2004, the municipality of São Desidério was the major producer of upland seed cotton

The use of new areas and technologies contributed to the increase of productivity of cotton in Mato Grosso, which changed from 1, 390 kg/ha, in 1994, to 3, 303 kg/ha in 2004. The Brazilian production of upland cotton was 3 798 254 tons in 2004; it represented an increase of 72.71% in relation to the previous year. This increase occurred mainly due to the growth of planted area by 61.39%, a consequence of good market prices.

In 2004, the municipality of São Desidério, responsible for about 45% of the production in the state of in Bahia and for 8% of the Brazilian production, led the ranking in terms of upland cotton production, being followed by Campo Verde (MT) , Sapezal (MT), Diamantino (MT), Pedra Preta (MT), Barreiras (BA), Campo Novo do Parecis (MT), Itiquira (MT), Diamantino (MT) and Chapadão do Céu (GO).

 

The South region has the best rice harvest in its history

In 2004, the harvest of 13,276 million tons of rice represented a new national record. This result was influenced by the following factors: favorable climate conditions, wide use of technology, and the implementation of production systems developed by institutions of research and incentive to agricultural production in Brazil.

In 2004, the South region, the main rice producer in the country, harvested 7,531 million tons, corresponding to 56.73% of the overall national production. The state of Rio Grande do Sul alone contributed 47.74% to the overall amount produced in the region, showing an increase in production of about 34.94%, going from 4,697 million tons, in 2003, to 6,338 million in 2004. In this period, Rio Grande do Sul had a record average yield (6 070 kg/ha) and surpassed by 24% the productivity of the previous year. This was the major rice harvest in the state. It was a consequence of favorable climatic conditions during the crop cycles - little rain, sunlight and new technologies adopted by – IRGA (Rice Institute of Rio Grande do Sul)

The municipality of Uruguaiana, in Rio Grande do Sul, was the main producer of rice. In 2004, 541,208 thousand tons of rice were harvested in this municipality, representing 8.54% of the total in the state and 4.08% of the overall national production. With reference to Rio Grande do Sul, it is worth mentioning other municipalities responsible for rice production: Santa Vitória do Palmar, Itaqui, Alegrete, Dom Pedrito, São Borja, Cachoeira do Sul, Arroio Grande, Camaquã and Mostardas. Together, the ten major producers in the country held about 23% of the national production, and 48% of the production in Rio Grande do Sul.

The Central West region was the second major producer of rice. In the period 2003/2004 its production grew by 60.56%, reaching about 21% of the overall national production. The North, Northeast and Southeast regions presented increase of, respectively, 13.82%, 6.86% and 10.92%, accounting for 22.27% of the national total.

 

Production of beans falls despite the occurrence of harvests all over the country

Considering three annual harvests, the overall production of beans in 2004 was of 2,965 million tons, representing a reduction of 10.19% in relation to the previous year, when 3,302 million tons were harvested. That occurred, above all, due to unattractive market prices during the planting season, especially in the first harvest. As a consequence, it was necessary to import extra quantities of the product to supply internal demand.

The main producer is Paraná, having harvested 664,334 tons in 2004, equivalent to 22.40% of the overall production in the country. The major producers in the state of Paraná were Prudentópolis, Reserva, Irati and Lapa, which, together, accounted for 18.52% of the state production and 4.15% of the national total. The state of Minas Gerais is the second producer, having harvested, in 2004, a total 464 290 tons, 14.68% less than in the previous harvest. In this state, the municipality of Unaí is the major producer, with 66,600 tons in 2004, equivalent to 14.34% of the state total. At national level, Unaí is also the number one producer, with a participation of 2.25% of the overall national production. Bahia, with a production of 330 734 tons, 7.18% less than in 2003, is the third in the ranking. The municipality of Adustina is the highlight of 2004, with a total of 24 948 tons, 7.53% of the production in the state of Bahia.

 

Bahia accounted for 82.7% of the national harvest of castor beans

In 2004, the Brazilian production of castor beans was 137,976 tons, an increase of 64.9% in relation to the previous harvest, stimulated by the increase of planted area and of productivity. Bahia accounted for 82.7% of the national harvest, with the municipality of Ibititá as the major national producer, with 12,000 tons of castor beans. Ibititá was responsible for 10.51% of the production in the state of Bahia and of 8.7% of the national production.

 

Rio Grande do Sul has the smallest production of corn (grain) in 25 years

In 2004, the production of corn was 41.805 million tons, representing a decrease of 13.49% in relation to the 2003 harvest (48.327 million tons). In spite of the existence of corn crops in all the Federative Units, 90% of the national production is concentrated in the following states: Paraná (10.953 million tons), Minas Gerais (5.952 million tons), São Paulo (4.647 million tons), Goiás (3.523 million tons), Mato Grosso (3.408 million tons), Rio Grande do Sul (3.371 million tons), Santa Catarina (3.257 million tons) and Mato Grosso do Sul (2.374 million tons). In these states, corn producers, the general trend was the reduction of planting area due to the low price of corn.

The harvest of 2004 was extremely affected by the dry season occurred in a great area of the South region and by the cyclone "Catarina", which brought several damages to the coast and to the inner parts of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Paraná was the major national producer, having contributed with approximately 26% of the production. The municipality of Guarapuava is the highlight as the major producer of corn in the state, with 209,440 thousand tons, equivalent to 1.91% of the overall state production. Such percentage reveals the spread of corn crops in Paraná.

As a consequence of the dry season, Rio Grande do Sul had the lowest corn production (3,376 million tons) in the last 25 years, besides a reduction (8%) of planted area. The state, which had been the major corn producer in 2003, was ranked in the sixth position in 2004.

Although the central west Region presented a reduction of 5.79% in the production of corn, it remained in third place among the producing regions in the country. The municipalities of Jataí (GO), Chapadão do Céu (GO), Sapezal (MT), Sorriso (MT), Lucas do Rio Verde (MT), Nova Mutum (MT), Maracaju (MS) and Dourados (MS) are among the ten major producers of cereal in the country. In this ranking of municipalities with greatest production of corn, can also be highlighted São Desidério (BA) and Unaí (MG).

 

The municipality of Sorriso (MT) was the highlight as the major Brazilian producer of soybeans

In 2004, the production of soybeans amounted to 49.552 million tons, representing a decrease by 4.56% in relation to the production of the pervious year (51.919 million tons). The states of the South region were affected by the dry season and Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais registered excessive rain, resulting in loss of crops.

In this harvest, Mato Grosso, even having faced the excess of rain and ocurrence of Asian rust, had its position as main producer in the country consolidated and accounted for 29.30% of the national production. The municipality of Sorriso (MT) se was the highlight as the major Brazilian producer, followed by Sapezal (MT) and Campo Novo do Parecis (MT).

 

Production of sorghum (grain) has grown by 390% in the last five years

Sorghum crops have had a good performance in the Central West region for being an alternative to 2^nd harvest corn, due to its great resistance to climatic adversities. Sorghum contributes to the reduction of chicken and swine food production costs, without big losses in terms of nutrients. In the last five years, the Brazilian production of sorghum grew by 390%, going from 553,644 thousand tons in 1999, to 2,163 million tons in 2004. In relation to the previous harvest, production grew by 19.8% and the major producers were Goiás and Mato Grosso, accounting, respectively, for 34.2% and 17.1% of the overall amount produced.

 

Production of wheat (grain) has grown by 330% in the last five years

 

Wheat is an important item in the national basic food basket. Its production grew from 1,725 million tons, in 1999, to 5,745 million tons, in 2004, an increase of more than 330% in five years. Despite this result, Brazil still needs imports to supply its internal demand.

In relation to 2003, the harvest of 2004 had a decrease of 6.6%, influenced by the lack of rain, in the South region. It also presented the lowest investment in crops due to the loss of purchasing power of farmers, with the destruction of the summer harvest. Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul had the major production of wheat, with, respectively, 51.8 and 35.9 % of the overall figure in the country.

 

The IBGE survey

The survey Municipal Agricultural Production, released by IBGE, presents, in this volume, data about planted area, harvested area, amount produced, overall yield and production costs for 13 products (arboreous and herbaceous seed cotton, peanuts, rice, oats, rye, barley, beans, castor beans, corn, soybeans and wheat). The publication contains information about the Great Regions and Federative Units; the CD-ROM presents data referring to the Mesoregions, Geographical Microregions and Municipalities.

The tables showing the municipalities and the items produced by them are attached, in annex.