The fifth estimate for the national harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds points to an output of 161.2 million metric tons, being 7.8% above the record harvest of 2010 (149.6 million metric tons) and 1.6% above the April estimate. The area to be harvested in 2011, of 48.9 million metric tons, increased by 5.1% compared to that of 2010, being 0.7% bigger than in April. The three main crops, rice, corn and soybeans, which, together, account for 90.5% of the output, cover 82.2% of the area to be harvested and record changes of 1.7%, 5.0% and 3.0%, respectively.  With reference to the output, these three crops present, in the same order, increases of 18.0%, 3.9% and 8.4%.

The complete publication is available at www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/agropecuaria/lspa.

Among the Major Regions, this production volume shows the following distribution: South, 68.0 million metric tons; Central West, 56.1 million metric tons; Southeast, 16.6 million metric tons; Northeast, 16.3 million metric tons, and North, 4.3 million metric tons.  Compared to the previous harvest, there will be increments in the North Region, 6.3%; Northeast, 38.2%; Central West, 6.9%; South, 5.9%; and decrease in the Southeast, 2.8%.

Paraná remains as the leader in terms of national grain production in the 2011 evaluation, with a participation of 20.4%, followed by Mato Grosso, with 19.3%, and Rio Grande do Sul, with 17.8%.

Among the 25 selected products, 16 recorded positive change in production estimates over the previous year: herbaceous seed cotton (74.4%), 1st harvest peanuts in husk (8.1%), paddy rice (18.0%), 1st harvest potatoes (13.3%), 2nd-harvest potatoes (13,8%), cacao beans (4.2%), barley grains (8.0%), 1st harvest beans (32.3%), 2nd-harvest beans (13.7%), castor beans (49.4%), cassava (7.3%), 1st harvest grain corn (2.4%), 2nd harvest grain corn (6.0%), dry soybeans (8.4%), sorghum grains  (18.8%) and triticale grains (26.2%).  With a negative change: 2^nd harvest peanuts in shell (9.0%), oat grains (2.6%), 3rd-harvest potatoes (4.5%), coffee beans (7.8%), sugarcane (6.6%), onions (8.0%), 3^rd-harvest beans (9.0%), oranges (2.3%) and wheat grains (10.8%).  The products in bold present a record output.

Highlights in May estimates over April 2011 figures

HERBACEOUS COTTON (seed) – The fifth estimate for herbaceous cotton in 2011 is 5.1 million metric tons, 2.9% above the April figure. This increase results from the expansion of planted area, which has recorded increase of 3.6%, and stayed at 1.4 million hectares.

PADDY RICE – The estimated output is 13.3 million metric tons and the planted area of 2.8 million hectares are, respectively, 0.6% and 0.5% lower than April figures. These decreases have resulted from the reevaluation of data of Santa Catarina, the second major producer, which recorded decrease of 1.2% in the estimated harvested area (149,914 hectares now).  The expected production of 984,190 t is 6.0% below the previously released figure due to damages in the average yield of crops (-4.9%), caused by the excess of rain.

COFFEE BEANS – The estimate for the crops that started to be harvested in May amounted to 2,649,055 t, or 44.2 million 60-kg sacks in processed grains, with a 3.5% increase in relation to April. The total area planted with this crop in the country increased 0.1%; the area directed to planting, 0.5% and the average yield, 3.0% in relation to the previous estimate. Compared to the previous year, the area directed to harvesting is 1.2% smaller.  

Total BEAN GRAINS – The national output of beans, considering the three harvests of this product, is evaluated as 3,815,16 metric tons, being 3.3% above the rate recorded in April. Compared to the index of last month, the output of 1st-harvest beans was 1.6% (as a result of reevaluations in data, being the main highlights Pernambuco and Goiás, which recorded output changes of 41.3% and 9.9%, respectively), that of 2nd-harvest beans, 7.8% (with review in the information of some producing states inn the Northeast Region), and that of 3rd harvest beans,–1.9% (as a result of the changes in the data of Goiás and Mato Grosso, where irrigated areas are being planted with more profitable crops).

Total CORN GRAINS – The output for both harvests amounts to 58.2 million metric tons, with a change of 0.8% over the April result. The 1st harvest is expected to reach 33.9 million metric tons, with increase of 2.5%, compared to the previous harvest. Participation in the national output, considering the three main producing areas, is distributed as follows: South (44.4%), Southeast (27.7%) and Northeast (13.8%). Considering 2nd harvest corn, the current estimate of 24.3 million metric tons is 1.4% below the previously estimated result. This harvest has as its biggest representatives the Central West Region, with participation of 58.5%, and South, with 30.5%. The decrease occurred basically due to Mato Grosso, the main producer, which accounts for 29.7% of the national output, where the current estimate of 7,236,008 t faced decrease of 10.2%.

DRY SOYBEANS – In 2011, the expected output of 74.3 million metric tons is a record figure, 2.0% bigger that that of April. This increase occurred due to a positive reevaluation of the area by 0.2% and, especially to the average yield that increased 1.8%, due to the bigger use of technology and the favorable climatic conditions in the main producing centers. Harvest has been finished in Mato Grosso, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, the main national producers, which recorded record figures of 3,223 kg/ha, 3,365 kg/ha and 2,845 kg/ha with reevaluations of this variable, this month, of 0.9%, 1.8% and 9.0%. There are also record figures in Pará, Bahia and Santa Catarina.

WINTER CROPS (grains) – For winter crops, which prevail in southern states, there have been increases for oats (11.7%), barley (5.2%) and wheat (6.9%).  For wheat, the most important of these crops, the expected output of 5.0 million metric tons in April increased to 5.4 million metric tons in May. This increase is a result of the inclusion, in this survey, of the 1st evaluation of triticale crops in Rio Grande do Sul. This state, the main national producer, with 37.5% of participation compared to April, recorded increase of the area to be harvested, 840,832 ha, by 7.4%, and of 2,017,900 t, by 24.2%. The second evaluation of harvest in Paraná, the major national producer, with a participation of 52.9% in the national output of wheat, records a 0.3% decrease in production, and the same occurred to the area, which fell by 0.7%.

The Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA) is a monthly survey of forecast and monitoring of harvests 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 of IBGE and of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).

Due to the need of crop data users, surveys relative to cereals, legumes and oilseeds (seed cotton, peanuts, rice, beans, castor beans, corn, soybeans, oats, rye, barley, sunflower seeds, sorghum, wheat and triticale) have been conducted in close partnership with the National Company of Supply (Conab), a subdivision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), as a sequence to a process of harmonization of official harvest estimates for the main Brazilian crops, initiated in October 2007.