The expected production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds is 133,4 million tons, according to June estimates. This figure represents decrease by 1.3% in relation to May.

The expected production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds is 133,4 million tons, according to June estimates. This figure represents decrease by 1.3% in relation to May. Unfavorable climactic conditions and the reevaluation of data have affected this result. In Piauí, the figures for production of soybeans fell by 21.5%, due to a long dry period.

The sixth estimate for the agricultural production of 2007, according to the June edition of the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA¹), highlights the negative changes of production estimates in relation to May for the following products: 1^st harvest beans (-7.7%), 2^nd harvest beans (-2.7%), 1^st harvest corn in grain (-1.4%), 2^nd harvest corn in grain (-4.0%) and soybeans in grain (-0.4%).

Drought damages bean crops in the Northeast Region  

The decrease in 1^st harvest beans,  in June, is mainly a consequence of the scarcity of rain in Northeastern states. The development of crops was damaged, especially in the states of Piauí (-62.1%), Ceará  (-16.6%), Rio Grande do Norte (-17.5%) and Bahia (-25.3%). In the Central-South Region, the product had already been harvested, and the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás, presented adjustments in their final estimates, by -2.8% and -8.9%, respectively.

For 2^nd harvest beans there was also decrease in relation to the May estimate. The biggest differences are those observed in Rio Grande do Norte (-53.9%), Espírito Santo (-8.7%), Paraná (-20.8%), Mato Grosso do Sul (-11.5%) and Goiás (-14.5%). Climactic conditions were also the main reasons accounting for these decreases, especially due to the frosts which have occurred in the end of May and beginning of June in Paraná and in Mato Grosso do Sul, and the dry period in other states.

Frosts cause loss of 600 thousand tons of 2^nd harvest corn

Concerning 1^st harvest corn, which has been almost completely harvested in the Central-South Region, the difference in the production estimate was caused by lack of rain in the Northeastern states. Piauí harvested 53.7% less than what was estimated. Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte had negative changes by 17.5% and 16.4%, respectively.

The production of 2^nd harvest corn fell by 4% in comparison with May. Frosts in Paraná and in Mato Grosso do Sul damaged the production with losses by about 10%, which corresponds to 600 thousand tons.

In Piauí, soybeans production fell by 21.5%

The production of soybeans fell by 0.4%. Piauí affected this percentage, once its crops faced long dry periods and reduction of productivity levels by 21.5%. In 2006, the State harvested 544,1 thousand tons, and in 2007, 484, 4 thousand tons.

Increased production of 17 items

Among the twenty-five products analyzed, seventeen had positive change in terms of production compared to the previous year: herbaceous seed cotton (31.2%), 2nd harvest peanuts in husk (19.0%), 1st harvest potatoes (22.6%), 2nd harvest potatoes (8.0%), cacao beans (14.7%), sugarcane (12.7%), onions (4.2%), barley in grain (41.2%), 1^st harvest beans in grain  (16.0%), oranges (1.1%), castor beans (21.2%), manioc flour (2.8%), 1^st harvest grain corn (15.4%), 2^nd harvest grain corn (38.1%), soybeans in grain (11.3%), wheat in grain (60.6%) and triticale (4.0%).   

Negative changes were obtained for: 1st harvest peanuts in husk (10.2%), rice in husk (4.4%), oats in grain (37.1%), 3^rd harvest potatoes (2.1%), coffee in grain (15.1%), 2^nd harvest beans in grain (12.7%) and sorghum in grain (14.6%).

Cereal, legumes and oilseeds harvest is 14.0 % bigger

According to this sixth estimate for the national production of cereals legumes and oilseeds² in 2007, the overall expected production is 133,4 million tons, 1.3% below the figure released in May (135,1 million tons), and 14.0% above the figure obtained for 2006 (117,0 million tons).

The harvested area in this estimate is below 0.4%, with 45,3 million hectares. Soybeans and 1^st harvest corn are the crops which present the biggest planted areas, with, respectively 20,6 and 9,3 million hectares planted in 2007.

The South Region had the biggest volume of cereals, legumes and oilseeds, 60.5 million tons. For the Central West Region, the volume was 44,2 million tons; for the Southeast, 16,0 million tons; for the Northeast, 10,3 million tons, and for the Northeast region, 3,0 million tons.

The summer harvests, such as those of corn and soybeans are almost over. Future data will focus on winter crops, such as wheat.

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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.