The national harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds may reach 135,1 million tons, that is, 2.2% over the April estimate (132,3 million tons).

The national harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds may reach 135,1 million tons, that is, 2.2% over the April estimate (132,3 million tons). Production is 15.5% bigger than in 2006 (117,0 million tons). In the country, production (in tons) was distributed as follows: South Region, 60,5 million; Central West, 44,5 million, Southeast, 16,0 million; Northeast, 11,0 million and North, 3,0 million.

The planted area is 0.2% bigger than in last year, with about 45,6 million hectares. Among the products, the highlights were soybeans and 1^st harvest milk, with respectively, 20,5 and 9,4 million hectares in 2007.

The biggest stocks on December 31, 2006 were those of corn in grain (4,912,585 tons), soybeans in grain (3,053,696 tons), wheat in grain (2,646,685 tons), rice in husk (2,123,622 tons) and coffee in grain (1,143,307 tons).

The fifth evaluation of this year’s harvest, according to IBGE’s Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production, points to increase of the production of 19 among the 25 products surveyed, in comparison with 2006.  The highlights were herbaceous seed cotton (30.7%), 2^nd harvest peanuts in husk (14.0%), 1^st harvest potatoes (22.5%), 2^nd  harvest potatoes (8.1%), cocoa beans (0.4%), sugarcane (12.7%), onions (2.7%), barley in grain (38.3%), 1^st harvest beans in grain (25.7%), 3^rd harvest beans in grain (5.1%), oranges (1.1%), castor beans (50,2%), cassava (3.0%), 1^st harvest corn in grain (17.1%) and 2^nd harvest corn in grain (43.8%), soybeans (11.7%), wheat in grain (62.3%) and triticale (33%). The negative change came from 1^st harvest peanuts in husk (10.0%), rice in husk (4.0%), oats in grain (36.4%), 3^rd harvest potatoes (1.6%), coffee in grain 913.4%), 2^nd harvest beans in grain (10.3%) and sorghum in grain (12.5%).  

Among the products which had negative production change in comparison with April, there were four main ones: coffee in grain (2.3%), 2^nd harvest corn in grain (7.5%), soybeans in grain (2.3%) and wheat in grain (6.6%).

Coffee, corn, soybeans and wheat show positive change in May estimates

In the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production – LSPA¹, the differences observed between the production estimates of May and April refer, mainly, to four products: coffee in grain (2.3%), 2^nd harvest corn in grain (7.5%),  soybeans in grain (2.3%) and wheat in grain (6.6%). 

Coffee – As a consequence of new data relative to the state of Espírito Santo, the national estimate of coffee production for this month is 2,2 million tons, with increase of 2.3% in relation to the data released in April. Based on this figure, the estimated output for 2007 is about 37,4 million 60kg-sacks of coffee. In Espírito Santo, due to the good climactic conditions in the main coffee production centers, the productivity index was recalculated as 1185kg/ha, versus 1086 kg/ha calculated in the previous month. This way the estimated production changed from 577 thousand tons to 627 thousand tons, evidencing expansion of 8.7% in this May result. The amount of coffee produced was 10,4 million sacks of grains with 60 kg each.

Corn in grain (2nd harvest) – In terms of 2^nd harvest corn (grain), this month brings an output of 16,1 million tons, 7.5% more than the figure released last year (15,0 million tons). This increase is a consequence of the contributions from the state of Mato Grosso, which reevaluated the area in 22.6%. As a result, there was increment of production of 21.1%, resulting in 5,8 million tons. It is important to highlight that in the current estimate, losses due to late planting and dry periods have not been considered yet. 

Soybeans in grain – The increase of the national production by 2.3% occurred due to the new analysis in Rio Grande do Sul.  The level of productivity observed in this harvest (2,586 kg/ha) was the second biggest one in the state, having only been surpassed by the output of 2003 (2,667 kg/ha). The climactic conditions, together with all the precautions in the handling of crops, contributed significantly to this result. This way, the expected production of soybeans in Rio Grande do Sul totals 10,1 million tons. It is 9.9% above the April figure and 33.1% higher than the harvest in 2006, when 7,6 million tons were harvested.

Wheat in grain – There was increase by 6.6% in this second estimate for wheat production, in comparison with data from April, of 3,8 million tons, and which is now 4,0 million tons. Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, together, account for 91% of the production in the country, with contributions of 52.2% (2,1 million tons) and 38.5% (1,6 million tons), respectively.  This volume of wheat, 4,0 million tons expected in 2007, is 62.3% above the production obtained in 2006, the year in which the harvest of this cereal was seriously damaged by the unfavorable climactic conditions, such as dry periods and frosts in the beginning of the harvests. Even with recovery in relation to 2006, our production is still very different from the level of consumption, which is above 10 million tons.

Estimated grain harvest is 135,1 million tons

For this year, the national harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds² may reach 135,1 million tons, 2.2% more than in April, when the estimate was 132,3 million tons. The current estimate is also 15.5% higher above the amount harvested in 2006 (117,0 million tons). This production is distributed among the Major Regions as follows: South Region, 60,5 million tons; Central West, 44,5 million; Southeast, 16,0 million; Northeast, 11,0 million, and, finally, the North Region, with 3,0 million tons.   

The area planted in the 2007 harvest is 0.2% bigger than the area harvested last year, with about 45,6 million hectares. The products which present the biggest planted areas are soybeans and corn (1^st  harvest), with, respectively, 20,5 and 9,4 million hectares. With the end of the harvest of summer crops, the monitoring in the field in the next few months will be focused on winter crops, especially wheat and also the 2^nd and 3^rd harvest products.

Stock of grain at the turn of the year surpassed 12,8 million tons

The Survey of Stocks³ relative to the second semester of 2006 shows the quantity of grains on December 31, 2006 was over 12,8 million tons. The biggest stocks on this date were those of corn in grain (4,912,585 tons), soybeans in grain (3,053,696 tons), wheat in grain (2,646,685 tons), rice in husk (2,123,622 tons), and coffee in grain (1,143,307 tons). Compared to the results in the same period of 2005, the stocks of coffee and rice in husk had positive changes of 20.6% and 1.8%. The stocks of wheat, soybeans and corn fell by 28.3%, 5.8% and 4.9%, respectively.

The storage chain of agricultural products operating in the country had decrease of 2.1% in terms of number of active establishments compared to the first semester. In the end of the second semester, this chain had 9,228 active establishments, and 42.1% of them were in the South Region; 24.2% in the Southeast; 21.8% in the Central West, 8.5% in the Northeast and 3.4% in the North. The stocks of grains on December 31^st, 2006 surpassed 12,8 million tons.

The total useful capacity of grain silos in the country was 42,885,973 tons. Out of this total, 55.8% were concentrated in the South Region. The Central West and the Southeast Region held, respectively, 25.5% and 14.1% of this figure.

The useful capacity of storage units like conventional, structural and inflatable storage units was 81,721,655 cubic meters. A little more than 70% of them were located in the South and Southeast Regions.

Granary storage buildings and buildings adapted into granary storage units totaled 48,795,180 tons of useful capacity of which the Central West Region accounted for 49.1% of the storage capacity and the South Region, 34.9%.

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¹ Monthly Survey of estimate and monitoring of the harvest of the main agricultural products, about which data are obtained through the Municipal Commissions (COMEA) and/or Regional Commissions (COREA), united at state level by the Agriculture Statistics Coordinating Group (GCEA) and later, evaluated, at national level, by the Special Commission of Planning, Control and Evaluation of Agricultural Statistics (CEPAGRO). This Commission is formed by representatives from IBGE ad from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).   

² Cotton seed, peanuts, rice, beans, castor beans, corn, soybeans, oats, rye, barley, sunflower seeds, sorghum and triticale.

³ The Survey of Stocks provides statistical information about the volume and spatial distribution of stocks of basic agricultural products and about the units in which they are kept. The survey register is formed by establishments/companies owned by the government, private ones, cooperative companies and companies of mixed economy, with about a total 11,100 establishments. The establishments investigated are commercial, industrial and service storage ones with useful capacity equivalent or superior to 400 cubic meters, or 240 tons, and also supermarkets and agricultural establishments with useful capacity equivalent or superior to 2,000 cubic meters or 1,200 tons.