The fifth estimate of the national harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds[i] added up to  185.9 million metric tons[ii], 14.8% up over that of 2012 (161.9 million metric tons), increasing 959,709 metric tons in relation to the estimate of April (0.5%). The area to be harvested in 2013, estimated in 52.9 million hectares, increased 8.4% against 2012 (48.8 million hectares) and 0.2% (+128,262 ha) against the April estimate. Rice, corn and soybean, together, added up to 92.2% of the estimate, accounting for 86.0% of the area to be harvested. The comparison with 2012 pointed to an increase in the area of 8.9% for corn, 10.9% for soybean and a slight decrease of 463 ha (-0.0%) in the harvested area for rice. As to the estimated production, the increases over 2012 were of 3.9% for rice, 10.0% for corn and 23.5% for soybean. The complete publication can be accessed at

www.ibge.gov.br/english/indicadores/agropecuaria/lspa.

Among the Major Regions, the volume of production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds showed the following distribution: Central-West, 75.8 million metric tons; South, 73.3 million metric tons; Southeast, 19.5 million metric tons; Northeast, 12.8 million metric tons and North, 4.5 million metric tons. The survey registered an increase of 7.0% in the Central-West Region, 32.7% in the South Region, 1.2% in the Southeast Region and 8.2% in the Northeast Region over the last harvest. The North Region recorded a drop of 4.0%. This estimate for 2013 pointed Mato Grosso as the biggest national producer of grains, with a share of 23.8%, followed by Paraná (20.3%) and Rio Grande do Sul (15.7%). These three states together accounted for 59.8% of the overall estimate. 

Due to the agricultural calendar, the third crop of some products and the winter crops (wheat, oat, rye, barley and triticale) did not allow a full estimate of the production. Thus, some data correspond to projections from previous years.

May´s estimate in relation to April´s

In the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production, the highlights were the changes in the production estimate of May over April for ten products: rice (-1.2%), coffee (-0.3%), beans - 1^st  crop (-10.2%), beans - 2^nd crop (2.8%), beans - 3^rd crop (-7.1%), cassava (-2.7%), corn - 1^st crop (-1.7%), corn - 2^nd crop (3.0%), sorghum (19.6%) and wheat (1.0%).

PADDY RICE - In relation to April, the estimate for the national production of rice decreased by 139,829 metric tons (-1.2%), mainly due to the estimates in Piauí, 48,618 t (-32.6%), Maranhão, 46,789 t (-7.6%), Rondônia, 13,364 t (-9.2%), Rio Grande do Sul, 13,103 t (-0.2%), Bahia, 8,214 t (-77.0%), Paraíba, 7,639 t (-95.9%), Goiás, 4,311 t (-2.8%), Ceará, 1,847 t          (-2.3%) and Minas Gerais, 1,090 t (-2.4%).

TOTAL COFFEE BEANS - In relation to April, May registered a decline of 0.3% in the expected production and an increase of 0.1% in the average yield. The change in the production of coffea canephora over the last month was only +0.4% and of coffea arabica, -0.5%. The estimate for the national harvest of 2013, now underway, is of 2,984,483 metric tons, or 49.7 million sacks.

COFFEE BEANS - ARABICA - In May, the national production of arabica was estimated in 2,196,589 metric tons of grain, the equivalent of 36.6 million 60 kg sacks. This figure represented a decrease of 0.5% against April. The average yield fell -0.1% and the total planted area, -0.3%. The area to be harvested also decreased -0.3%.

COFFEE BEANS - CANEPHORA - The estimate of 13.1 million sacks for the national production was positively revised in 0.4%, due to the figures in Espírito Santo, the biggest producer in Brazil. However, the expected increase of 1.1% in the production of this state was considered weak. The shortfall of rain during the fruiting period may continue to negatively influence the yield in the next surveys (-0.2% in relation to April).

TOTAL BEAN SEEDS - Taking into account the three crops of the product, the estimate for the national production of bean was of 3,029,682 metric tons, 4.5% smaller than that of April. The Northeast Region was also the main responsible for the negative estimate of the production of beans in relation to the last survey. In absolute figures, the decrease was of 115,377 metric tons for the expected production in the Northeast Region, 16,747 metric tons in the South Region, 5,952 metric tons in the Central-West Region and 5,639 metric tons in the Southeast Region. The North Region was the only one to record an absolute increase in the estimate: 1,537 metric tons in relation to the last review. The first crop of beans contributed with 41.6% to the national production of bean seeds, the second crop contributed with 43.5% and the third crop, with 14.9%.

BEAN SEED - 1^st crop - The estimated production for bean seed - 1^st crop was of 1,258,667 metric tons in 2013, 10.2% smaller than that of the fourth estimate.  Very affected by droughts, the Northeast registered significant reductions in Bahia (-53.6%), Paraíba (-69.3%), Piauí (-44.7%), Pernambuco (-24.1%), Rio Grande do Norte (-39.4%), Ceará (-4.2%) and Maranhão (-1.3%). The positive highlights were Paraná, Pará and Rio Grande do Sul, which increased, respectively, 4.5%, 216.4% and 1.6% against April´s survey.

BEAN SEED - 2^nd crop - The estimated production for bean seed - 2^nd crop was of 1,318,884 metric tons, recording an increase of 2.8% over April. The increase was mainly due to the changing figures in Bahia (72.8%), Mato Grosso (10.6%), Pernambuco (12.9%), Minas Gerais (1.5%) and Sergipe (7.8%). The increase of prices boosted planting, even with the risk of frosts and droughts that usually happen during the crop period. In the monthly comparison, the survey registered an increase of 9.3% in the planted area and in the area to be harvested, adding up to, respectively, 1,171,297 ha and 1,167,251 ha.

BEAN SEED - 3^rd crop - The expected production of 452,131 metric tons for the third crop of bean seed is 7.1% smaller. The survey estimated a reduction of 8.5% in the area to be planted, despite an expected improvement of 1.5% in the average yield. Goiás reduced its estimated production in 26,257 metric tons, Minas Gerais reduced 8,520 metric tons and Paraná, 276 metric tons. According to May´s survey, only Mato Grosso estimated an absolute increase of 303 metric tons in the production over April.

CASSAVA - The survey recorded another negative estimate for the production of cassava in 2013, registering a fall of 2.7% in relation to that reported in April. The long droughts in the Northeast since 2012 affected the production this year. Another problem noticed in the Northeast was the lack of manioc to start new crops, as the drought stimulated the exploitation of the aerial portion of the plants as animal food. The following states reported negative changes in the production estimate: Bahia (-11.4%), Rio Grande do Norte (-54.0%), Paraíba (-25.3%), Piauí (-13.6%), Sergipe (-7.3%), Maranhão (-1.4%) and Ceará (-1.7%).

TOTAL CORN GRAIN - According to May´s survey, the total estimated production of corn grain was of 78,457,108 metric tons, 0.8% bigger than that recorded last month, leading to an expected record. The planted area also increased 0.1% in relation to April, but the harvested area and the area to be harvested decreased 0.2%. As to the expected production, 34.9 million metric tons (44.5%) were of corn - 1^st crop and 43.6 million metric tons (55.5%) were of corn - 2^nd crop. As corn was well priced in the market, the producers invested in the second crop.

CORN GRAIN - 1^st crop - This cereal registered a negative change of 1.7% in the estimated production against April. Strongly affected by droughts, the Northeast was the main responsible for the reduction in the expected production. The states of Bahia (-16.1%), Piauí (-25.2%), Paraíba (-75.9%), Maranhão (-2.8%), Rio Grande do Norte (-50.7%) and Ceará (-0.4%) also recorded drops. As to the other areas, Paraná (-0.9%) and Goiás (-0.4%) registered drops, whereas Rio Grande do Sul (1.7%) and Mato Grosso (3.1%) registered rises.

CORN GRAIN - 2^nd crop - The estimated production of corn - 2^nd crop in May was of 43,577,639 metric tons, pointing to an increase of 3.0% in relation to the estimate reported in April. Both the planted area and the area to be harvested increased 1.8%. The expected average yield  increased 1.1% due to good weather conditions, as well as to the high technologies that are being used in the crops. Paraná, which expected to produce 24.9% of the national production in this cropping period, reported a decrease of 6.0% in the expected harvest. The Central-West Region recorded an average increase of 5.1% in the production, highlighted by Mato Grosso (10.0%).

SORGHUM GRAIN - The estimated production of sorghum in May was of 2,474,221 metric tons, pointing to an increase of 19.6% in relation to the estimate reported in April. Both the estimates for planted area and area to be harvested increased by 12.2% and 12.3%, respectively, whereas the average yield advanced 6.4%. The increase in the estimated production of sorghum in May was mainly due to Goiás, the biggest producer, accounting for 51.9% of the overall production. This state confirmed an increase of 37.8% over April, reflecting an expansion of 39.5% in the planted and harvested areas. Mato Grosso (9.3%), Minas Gerais (2.2%), Bahia (4.8%) and Rio Grande do Norte (11.0%) also increased the expected production in relation to April.

WHEAT GRAIN - May´s survey for wheat recorded an expansion of 1.0% in the expected production, an estimate of 5,512,627 metric tons. The estimated planted area increased by 2.6% against April. The positive highlights were the estimates for Paraná (2.2%) and Minas Gerais (17.3%), while the negative was Goiás (-30.0%).

May´s estimate in relation to the production in 2012

Among the 26 selected products, 16 increased the estimated production over 2012: peanuts in the shell - 1^st crop (5.9%), paddy rice (3.9%), oat grain (12.2%), potatoes - 1^st crop (2.6%), potatoes - 2^nd crop (1.3%), coffee beans (canephora) (4.0%), sugarcane (10.3%), barley grain (31.9%), bean seed - 1^st crop (3.3%), bean seed - 2^nd crop (18.0%), corn grain - 1^st crop (5.0%), corn grain - 2^nd crop (14.4%), soybean grain (23.5%), sorghum grain (21.4%), wheat grain (25.9%) and triticale grain (17.0%). Ten products registered negative changes: upland cottonseed (30.6%), peanuts in the shell - 2^nd crop (12.5%), potatoes - 3^rd crop (14.9%), cacao nuts (6.9%), coffee in beans (arabica) (4.7%), onions (9.3%), bean seed - 3^rd crop (6.7%), cassava (2.0%), oranges (14.2%) and castor beans (18.1%).

In absolute numbers, the most significant increases in the production compared with the 2012 harvest were: sugarcane, soybean and corn. Also in absolute numbers, the biggest negative changes in the annual comparison were: oranges, cotton and cassava.

UPLAND COTTONSEED – This was the annual culture that suffered the biggest negative change in absolute terms when compared with the production in 2012. In the annual comparison, it registered a difference of 1,518,101 metric tons and a reduction of 414,260 hectares in the harvested area. Some of the factors that explained the retraction of this crop in 2013 were the stock replenishment after two record harvests (2011 and 2012), the European crisis and the rise in the price of soybean, leading to a competition for planting areas.

SUGARCANE - This culture expanded with the incentives to renewable fuels and flex cars, but decelerated with the worldwide credit crisis at the end of 2008 and the announcement of the petroleum potential in pre-salt areas. The estimated production of sugarcane is growing again in 2013 by 10.3%, equivalent to 68,936,088 metric tons more in relation to the production in 2012.

TOTAL COFFEE BEANS - Now underway, the 2013 national harvest was estimated in 2,984,483 metric tons, or 49.7 million 60 kg sacks of processed coffee beans. The total planted area of 2,312,983 ha of coffee (arabica and canephora) in Brazil was 1.0% smaller than that in 2012. The area to be harvested was estimated in 2,059,390 ha, 1.6% smaller than that in 2012.

The two species together recorded a decrease of 2.5% in the production in relation to the 2012 harvest. The differences between the production of "high and low" years have been decreasing over the years, as a result of the large share of arabica in the coffee areas in Brazil.

COFFEE BEANS (ARABICA) - With the harvest underway, the expected decrease of 4.7% in the national production of coffea arabica to be harvested in 2013, in relation to the 2012 harvest, was mainly due to the physiologic characteristic of this species, which alternates between harvests of "high and low" productivity. However, these differences have been declining.

Brazil should produce 2,196,589 metric tons of this grain, the equivalent of 36.6 million 60 kg sacks. With the harvest underway, the area to be harvested was estimated in 1,578,322 ha, 0.6% smaller than the harvested area in 2012. The total planted area with this culture in all development stages added up to 1,764,361 ha, 0.7% smaller than that in 2012.

COFFEE BEANS (CANEPHORA) - The 2013 estimate of 787,894 metric tons (13.1 million sacks) was 4.0% bigger than the production in 2012, in a harvested area of 481,068 ha, 4.6% smaller than that in 2012. The prices of conilon, R$ 240,00 per 60 kg sack on average, favor the producers, in contrast with the low prices of coffea arabica.

ORANGES – The national harvest of oranges declined 14.2%, 2,712,699 metric tons less than the last harvest. Large national and international stocks, worsen by the European crisis and customs blockades, were the main factors deterring citriculture in 2013.

CASSAVA - Compared with 2012, the negative change of 2.0% in the production of roots in 2013 represented a negative difference of 470,453 metric tons. Also compared with 2012, the planted area was 8.6% smaller, as well as the area to be harvested, which fell 5.3%. The supply of this product could not be recovered due to severe droughts in the Northeast Region along two consecutive years. As a temporary and long-term culture, its cycle usually exceeds 12 months. The deficient supply of food in this Region, especially of animal food, re-directed the use of the aerial portions of the plants to this end, thus reducing the supply of manioc to start new crops.

CORN GRAIN - The record harvest of corn in 2013 was leveraged by the good prices practiced since the first crop of the product. The prices remained leveraging the second crop, coupled with good climate conditions in the main producing areas. The national production was 10.0% bigger than that of 2012, recording an absolute increase of 7,160,630 metric tons. The area to be harvested also increased in 1,261,650 hectares (8.9%). The first crop registered an expansion of 1,666,784 metric tons (5.0%), though the planted area declined in 510,706 hectares (-6.7%). The absolute change expected for the second crop of the product was of 5,493,846 metric tons (14.4%) for a 1,339,490 hectares bigger planted area (18.1%). This is the second year in a row which recorded a bigger production in the second crop than that in the first crop.

SOYBEAN GRAIN - Soybean registered a record harvest in 2013, exceeding the 2012 production in 15,414,257 metric tons (23.5%). The planted area was 2,646,192 hectares bigger (10.6%), whereas the area to be harvested surpassed that of the last year by 2,720,389 hectares (10.9%). The average yield changed from 2,635 kg/ha in the previous harvest to 2,933 kg/ha, an increase of 11.3%. Compared with 2012, the good prices practiced and better climate conditions, particularly in the South Region, explained such figures.