The harvest of soybeans broke the record in 2006, with 52,464,640 tons harvested, 1,282,566 t more (2.5%) than in 2005 and 1% more than in the harvest of 2003 (51,919,440 t), the major until then. Even so, the area harvested was 3.9% lower and there were decreases of 15.1% in the value of production in the last year. These results are observed in the Municipal Agricultural Survey – Cereals, Legumes and Oilseeds (PAM-CLO).  In 2006, the production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds – known as grains – was of 117.3 million tons, 4.1% higher than the one of 2005. Paraná (19.8%), Mato Grosso (18.9%), and Rio Grande do Sul (17%) were the great responsible for the growth, influenced by soybeans and corn, which represented 44.3% and 36.1% of the harvest, respectively.  In 2006, the planted area of grains decreased by 5.2% (2.5 million hectares) in relation to 2005. The value of production fell by 15.1% (R$ 7.3 billion, in nominal terms). In the comparison with 2004, the decrease was more than R$ 22 billion (35.4%).

Among the crops with gain of production in 2006, soybeans stood out, obtaining a new national record, with harvest of 52,464,640 tons, 2.5% above the one of 2005. The positive index did not prevent, nevertheless, the grain to have reduction of 3.9% in the harvested area and that its value of production fell by 15.1%. The second place in the ranking of grains was registered by corn, which had an increase of 21.5% in the production, recovering from the consequences of the droughts that affected the South Region. Soybeans and corn were responsible respectively, for 44.3% and 36,1% of the total of grains produced in the country, as it is possible to observe in the following graph.

The lack of regular rains contributed for the reduction of 5.2% in the planted area of grains in the country in 2006. The result represented 2.5 million hectares less and interrupted a sequence of growth that could be observed since 2001. There also was decrease of 15.1% in the value of production compared to 2005, which equals to R$ 7.3 billion in nominal terms. Compared to 2004, this decrease sums more than R$ 22 billion (-35.4%).  Wheat and rice were the products with the major reductions of production: respectively 2,193,854 and 1,668,429 less tons. These reductions occured mainly due to fewer planted areas by agriculturists, discouraged by the low prices of these products in the market.

Paraná returned to the top of the ranking and produced 19.8% of the grains of the country

Paraná led in 2006 the production of grains, concentrating 19.8% of the harvest of the country.  It was followed closely by Mato Grosso (18.9%) and Rio Grande do Sul (17%), which recovered, after having a severe drought in 2005.

Paraná had the major production of beans, corn, wheat, triticale, oats and barley and the second major of soybeans.  The diversity of products allows that, in case of damages to some crop, another one may make good a loss, reducing the influences in the economy of the state. Besides the climate, the use of technologies, with direct seeding and crop rotation favors this variety of production, allowing the planting of summer and winter crops in the same area. 

In Mato Grosso, soybeans answered for approximately 70% of the production. The state was also the major producer of herbaceous cotton of the country.  In 2005, Mato Grosso outranked Paraná, which experienced droughts. In 2006, besides the recovery of Paraná, the productions of soybeans and herbaceous cotton of Mato Grosso had reductions of –12.2% and –14.6%, respectively.

 São Desidério (BA) had leadership in the value of production; Sorriso (MT) was the major producer in volume

The main producing municipalities of grains reduced the value of their production in 2006.  In the top of the ranking for this indicator, was São Desidério (BA), which, despite the decreases of 17.6% in the volume of production and of 16.8% in the value of harvest, outranked Sapezal and Campo Verde, both of Mato Grosso. 

These municipalities had even higher reductions, due to lesser production and lower prices of its main products: soybeans, corn and herbaceous cotton. The fall of the dollar in the last years diminished the profit margin of producers, mainly those of the Central West Region, which paid a higher freight to export their products.

The municipality of Sorriso (MT) was the major national producer of grains in 2006, with 2,238,315 tons, an increase of 9.6% compared to 2005. Despite this result, the value of production of the municipality decreased by 23.5%, following a tendency of the rest of the state.

 
Productivity of soybeans increased by 6.7%

In 2006, a new record of production of soybeans was obtained in the country. 52,464,640 t were harvested, which surpassed in 1% the previous record of 51,919,440 t of 2003.  The planted area summed 22,082,666 ha, 5.7% lower than in 2005; and the average yield was 2,380 kg/ha, 6.7% major than the value recorded in 2005. In 2005, the soybean crop of Rio Grande do Sul was considerably affected by drought, having the lowest average yield ever recorded (654 kg/ha).

The six main producing states of soybeans in 2006 were Mato Grosso, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais. Among the 20 major municipal producers, stood out Sorriso (MT), which concentrated 3.4% of the total soybean production in Brazil, maintaining the first position in the national ranking, although its production had been 0.8% lower than the one of 2005. In Goiás, Jataí and Rio Verde were the highlights.  In Bahia, the great producer was São Desidério.

Rio Grande do Sul recovered participation in the harvest of corn

The national production of corn, considering the two harvests, totaled 42.7 million tons, 21.5% above the result obtained in 2005.  The harvested area was 12,612,077 ha, with an average yield of 3,382 kg/ ha.  The South Region had the major participation in the national production of corn 1st harvest.  In the 2nd harvest, the major contribution came from the Central West, which has a great part of its agricultural lands with soybeans in the period of the first harvest.  The irregular climatic conditions of 2004 and 2005 were not observed in 2006.

The six major producing states of corn were Paraná, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Mato Grosso and Goiás.  Rio Grande do Sul, after the two unfavorable last harvests due to the lack of water, changed from the eighth position in 2005 to the third position in terms of national participation.

 In Brazil, 5,317 among the 5,564 municipalities (95.6%) planted corn – it is the most generalized agricultural product.  Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) maintained the leadership in terms of volume produced in 2006, with a total of 596,030 t, as we can see in the following table.

 Planted area decreased, but average yield of rice was a record

In 2006, the national production of rice summed 11,524,434 tons, 12.6% less than in 2005. The decrease occurred mainly due to the reduction of the planted area in Mato Grosso, where were sowed only 287,974 ha in 2006, against 855,067 ha in the previous year and, from this total, 8,161 ha were completely lost due to bad weather.  As a consequence and also as a result of the decrease in the average yield, from 2,651 kg/ ha to 2,576 kg/ ha, the production of rice in Mato Grosso had reduction of 68.1%, summing only 720,834 tons.

In the national analysis, however, in 2006, rice had a record of average yield  (3,881 kg/ ha), strongly influenced by crops of Rio Grande do Sul, main national producer and where are located all the 20 major municipal producers of rice.  Besides Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Maranhão and Pará also stood out in the production of this grain. 

Unaí (MG) surpassed Cristalina (GO) in the production of beans

 The national production of beans in 2006, considering the three harvests of the product was 3,455,918 t, 14.4% major than the one of 2005 and surpassing the record of 1994 (3,369,684 t). This occurred due to the good prices obtained in the market, mainly in the 1st and 2nd harvests. It is also important to observe the increase in the productivity, as a consequence of favorable climatic conditions.

The product is cultivated in all the national territory being that five states (PR, MG, BA, SP and GO) were responsible for approximately 64.2% of the total produced.  In 2006, Paraná restarted the leadership, which had lost to Minas, and harvested 818,015 tons, 23.7% of the national total. São Paulo also surpassed Goiás, with a production of 296,270 tons (8.6% of the national harvest).
The 20 major municipal producer of beans, with a total of 595,777 tons, answered for 17.2% of the national production.  The major producer was Unaí (MG), with a total of 75.900 t (2.2% of the national production). Cristalina (GO), with a production of 64.200 t (1.9%), fell from the first to the second position.

Production of seed cotton (herbaceous) fell by 20.9% in 2006

The national production of seed cotton (herbaceous), in 2006, was 2,898,721 t, 20.9% lower than in 2005. The decrease occurred due to the decrease in the harvested area, which was 898,008 ha, 28.6% lower than in 2005, due to low prices of the product in the commercialization of the harvest 2005.

Mato Grosso, major national producer, responsible for almost half of the production in the country, had a harvested area of 392,408 ha; and a production of 1,437,926 t.. Comparing to the previous harvest, there were decreases of 18.7% and 14.6%, respectively. The forecasts are unfavorable for the product in the state, as a consequence of the low prices in the market, of the high cost of the production of the crop and of the difficulty to obtain new financing. Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul also had decrease in the production, of 53.0% and 46.6%, respectively, due to smaller planted areas.

In Bahia, second major national producer, the decrease in the harvest was of only 1.5%, considerably lower than in other states. The municipality of Bahia São Desidério had the major production (374,230 t or 12.9% of the national total and 42.9% of the state). Thanks to favorable climatic conditions and to a program of support for the development of the crop, the west of the state is standing out in the last years as one of the main producing regions of herbaceous cotton of the country.  It is worth mentioning Barreiras, Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Formosa do Rio Preto, Correntina and Riachão das Neves.

 Wheat has the worst harvest in five year

The national production of wheat in 2006 was 2,464,936 tons, 47.1% lower than in 2005 and the lowest of the last five years. With decapitalized producers, due to difficulties faced in the last two harvests, such as drought and low prices obtained in the commercialization, a decrease of 25.1% in the planted area was registered.  Besides this, the development of crops with low technology and the occurrence of frosts caused a reduction of 19.9% in the average yield.  The low quotations of the dollar in relation to the real also favored the increase of imports, discouraging producers and contributing to determine the decrease of the planted area.

Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, responsible for 50.2% and 33.4% of the Brazilian production, respectively, were the ones who most suffered with these problems, reducing their production by 55.3% and 40.8%. In these states, the high temperatures in June and July also increased the agricultural sanitary problems. Muitos Capões (RS) was the major municipal producer of wheat in the country, with 54,000 tons, an increase of 42.9% in relation to 2005. The recovery occurred due to a better productivity of the crop.  In Paraná, Assis Chateaubriand and Tibagi, were the most affected by the reduction in the planted area and in the average yield, among the main producing municipalities, being surpassed by Muitos Capões.

 Jataí (GO) is the major producer of sorghum

As a consequence of low prices, there was reduction of approximately 67,000 hectares (8.5%) in the planted area of sorghum in 2006.  On the other hand, productivity increased by 15.2%, due to a better distribution of rain in the period, which led to an increase of 5.4% in the production in 2006.

Goiás continued to be the major producing state, with 35.4% of the Brazilian production. Mato Grosso was in the second position.  With an increase of 24.2% in the production, due to a better average yield, the municipality of Jataí (GO) turned into the first national producer of sorghum, with 63,360 tons, surpassing Rio Verde and Montividiu, also in Goiás.