The Brazilian crop of cereals, legumes and oilseeds should reach 261.9 million tons in 2022, according to the September estimate of the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production, released today (6), in Rio de Janeiro, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography. and Statistics (IBGE).
For the IBGE, the result is a new record in the historical series, which began in 1975, and represents an increase of 3.4% or 8.7 million tons compared to 2021.
According to IBGE agriculture manager Carlos Alfredo Guedes, the main product that is driving the record result is corn, especially 2nd harvest corn, with a growth of 35.5% compared to the previous year.
“Production is recovering from weather problems in 2021, such as lack of rainfall. This recovery helps to explain production in 2022. In addition, there was also growth in the area of 2nd harvest corn, encouraged by the good prices that producers have achieved in recent years”, said Guedes, in a note.
The estimate for the harvest was growth in four major regions: Midwest (11.4%), North (11%), Southeast (10.8%) and Northeast (10.3%). In the South, the forecast is for a fall of 14.6%.
The researcher evaluated how weather conditions had an impact on the published results. “The lack of rain, caused by the phenomenon La Niña, impacted more the South region and Mato Grosso do Sul. Goiás and Mato Grosso were not affected by climatic problems. With that, we have the Midwest region, which is quite representative in grain production, with a growth of 11.4%”, he argued.
Wheat
The estimate of wheat production was 9.6 million tons, a decline of 0.9% compared to August and an increase of 23% compared to 2021. According to the agriculture manager, wheat is a product whose production is not self-sufficient.
“We consume around 12 or 13 million tons, so we will still have to import it, but much less than in previous years. This production of 9.6 million tons is a record for Brazil. Ukraine and Russia are two major wheat exporters and, with the war, prices are high. Producers, with an eye on this improvement in prices, increased the areas here in the country,” he added.
Coffee
According to the survey, the estimate of Brazilian coffee production for 2022, considering the two species – arabica and camphor – was 3.1 million tons, or 52.3 million 60-kilogram bags, down 2.7% from August and up 6.6% from 2021.
“Arabica coffee production should have grown more this year due to the positive biennial of the harvest. This did not happen, because last year we had a very cold winter, including the occurrence of frost in the coldest regions where this product is grown. This meant that the production potential of the 2022 crop was reduced”, said the research manager, Carlos Barradas.
Soy
Main commodity of the country, soybean production remained at 119.5 million tons, an estimate that represents a monthly increase of 0.6%, however, a retraction of 11.4% compared to that obtained in the previous year, with a fall of 15, 6% on average income. “Although the harvested area grew by 4.9%, weather problems brought down soy production in 2022,” said Barradas.
Regions
Among the major regions, the volume of production of cereals, pulses and oilseeds was distributed as follows: Central-West, 129.8 million tons (49.6%); South, 65.1 million tons (24.8%); Southeast, 27.6 million tons (10.6%); Northeast, 25.4 million tons (9.7%) and North, 14 million tons (5.3%).
