The second estimate of the national harvest of cereal, legumes and oilseeds is 157.5 million tonnes, 1.5% lower than the record harvest of 2011 (159.9 million tonnes) and 0.8% lower than that of January 2012 (158.7 million tonnes). The estimate of the area to be harvested is 50.3 million hectares in 2012, 3.4% higher than in 2011. Soybean, corn and rice are the three main crops, accounting for 90.7% of the total production and 83.1% of the area to be harvested.  In relation to the previous year, both rice and soybean saw falls of 13.2% and 9.3%, respectively, while corn increased by 12.8%. Concerning the area to be harvested, rice dropped 9.6%, corn rose 11.3% and soybean was up 2.1%. The expected production for the products of the summer harvest (cotton, peanut, rice, beans, castor beans, corn and soybean) is 119.5 million tonnes, 6.6% lower than in 2011 (127.9 million tonnes).  The complete publication can be accessed at www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/agropecuaria/lspa

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Among the Major Regions, the total volume of production presents the following distribution: Central West, 60.3 million tonnes; South Region, 57.9 million tonnes; Southeast, 18.3 million tonnes; Northeast, 16.7 million tonnes; and North, 4.3 million tonnes.  Compared with the past harvest, increases were recorded for the Northeast (13.2%), the Southeast (6.5%) and the Central-West (7.7%); and decreases for the North (0.6%) and the South (14.4%). Mato Grosso leads the national production of grains with a contribution of 22.3%, followed by Paraná, with 19.2%, and Rio Grande do Sul, with 13.4%. These states together account for 54.9% of the national total.

February estimate against the production of 2011

Among the 26 selected products, 7 presented positive changes in the estimate of production in relation to the previous year: herbaceous cotton seed (1.5%), arabica coffee in grain (16.2%), canephora coffee in grain (9.6%), sugarcane (16.7%), beans in grain 2nd harvest (21.4%), 1st harvest of corn in grain (1.6%) and 2nd harvest of corn in grain (30.2%). Nineteen products recorded a negative change: peanut in the shell 1st harvest (9.6%), peanut in the shell 2nd harvest (1.1%), paddy rice (13.2%), oat in grain (9.6%), potato 1st harvest (8.6%), potato 2nd harvest (8.6%), potato 3rd harvest (2.0%), cacao nut (6.2%), onion (3.6%), barley in grain (12.7%), beans in grain 1st harvest (12.2%), beans in grain 3rd harvest (5.7%), orange (0.3%),   castor beans (28.6%), cassava (0.1%), soybean in grain (9.3%), sorghum in grain (10.0%), wheat in grain (9.1%) and triticale in grain (2.1%).

Highlights in the estimate of February in relation to January 2012

Paddy Rice - The expected production of 11.7 million tonnes is 2.0% higher than that of the last survey. Rio Grande do Sul, the main producer, with 65.3% of the national total, recorded an increase of 3.5% in the expected production. 

Coffee (in grain) – The national harvest of coffee, considering the arabica and canephora varieties, is estimated at 50.9 million 60-kg sacks, a rise of 3.3% in relation to January.

The total area occupied by the crops is 2,306,868 hectares, an increase of 0.3%. The area to be harvested, 2,123,699 ha, increased by 1.1%. 

Beans (in grain) 1st harvest - The production of 1,755,434 tonnes is 3.5% lower than that of January.

That fall is mainly due to the period of drought in Bahia, where the expected plantings did not occur, reducing the area to be harvested in 20.2% and the production in 17.2%. In Paraná, the biggest producer, although production increased by 2.3%, only 352,185 tonnes were harvested in February (when harvest was completed).

Beans (in grain) 2nd harvest - The expected production of 1,355,693 tonnes registers an increase of 4.5%.

This rise was mainly driven by the figures of Goiás, where the area to be harvested (30,600 hectares) and the expected production (74,490 tonnes) are above those of January (33.4% and 81.3%, respectively).

Corn (in grain) 1st harvest - The production of 34.7 million tonnes is 1.5% higher than that of the last survey. The average yield was revised up to 4.4%, despite the decrease of 2.8% in the area to be harvested compared with the survey of January. The four main producers are: South (37.7%), Southeast (30.1%), Northeast (15.0%) and Central-West (13.3%).

Corn (in grain) 2nd harvest – The production is anticipated to be 28.5 million tonnes, 0.9% more than in January. São Paulo recorded an increase of 26.6% in production.

Mato Grosso, the biggest producer, had its results unchanged; whereas Paraná, the second biggest producer, revised up its production in 0.1%.

Soybeans (in grain) - The production is expected to be 67.9 million tonnes, 3.2% lower than that of January. The area to be harvested decreased by 0.4%, whereas the anticipated average yield registers a fall of 2.8%, 24.6 million hectares and 2,762 kg/ha, respectively.

The South registered a drop of 6.6% in the average yield and of 7.3% in the production. In Paraná, the second main producer, with 15.8% of the national production, the crop recorded a decrease in production and average yield: 8.1% and 8.0%, respectively.

The Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA) is a monthly survey aimed at forecasting and monitoring the harvest of the main agricultural products, whose information is obtained by the Municipal Commissions (COMEA) and/or Regional Commissions (COREA). These commissions are accredited by the Agriculture Statistics Coordinating Groups (GCEA) at a state level and evaluated by the Special Commission of Planning, Control and Evaluation of Agricultural Statistics (CEPAGRO) at a national level. CEPAGRO includes representatives from IBGE and from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).

In order to respond to the demand of users for harvest information, the surveys relative to Cereals, Legumes and Oilseeds (cotton seed, peanut, rice, beans, castor beans, corn, soybean, oat, rye, barley, sunflower, sorghum, wheat and triticale) were conducted in close partnership with the National Supply Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture (CONAB), a subdivision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). That initiative is the result of a process (started in October, 2007) of harmonization of the official harvest estimates for the main Brazilian crops.