The National Supply Company (Conab) forecasts the Brazilian grain harvest at 310.6 million tons. The data are from the 5th Grain Crop Survey 2022/2023, released today (8). According to the company, the result signals an increase of 38.2 million tons compared to the previous season. In relation to the forecast estimated last month, the volume had an adjustment of 0.1% million tons.
“The beginning of the corn and soy harvest in the state of Rio Grande do Sul confirm the forecasts of a sharp drop in productivity due to the low rainfall that occurred during the crop cycle. On the other hand, the performance of crops in the Midwest benefited from the favorable climate In Mato Grosso, the yields obtained for soybeans, for example, have been higher than expected”, said the president of Conab, Guilherme Ribeiro.
The survey shows that soy, the main product cultivated in the country, is almost finished with planting, with the beginning of the harvest in several regions of the country. According to the company, the pace is slow with only 8.9% of the area harvested throughout Brazil, behind the 16.8% recorded in the past harvest. The production expectation for the oilseed is 152.9 million tons.
The company said that corn planting in the second harvest was delayed due to the rains that hit the main producing regions, with only 10.7% of the planted area. Even so, Conab expects an increase in both area and productivity, which should result in a harvest in the second crop of 95 million tons, with a positive variation of 10.6%.
Regarding the first cereal crop, the company estimates a 5.7% increase in production compared to the volume obtained in the 2021/22 crop, which could reach 26.5 million tons. The Company said that the gains are not greater only because of the weather problems in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
For beans, the productivity obtained in the crops in the first harvest compensated the smaller cultivated area and the production of the three types of legume is estimated at 994.2 thousand tons.
The states of Santa Catarina and Paraná have already started planting the second crop, and the sowing of the third should start at the end of April. As a result, total bean production should remain stable in relation to the past cycle, close to 3 million tons.
Regarding rice, the company forecasts that the harvest will reach 10.2 million tons, due to the adjustment in volume due to the impacts of the climate on the crops in Rio Grande do Sul, which reflected on the productivity of the crop.
For cotton, the estimate is an increase of 19.2%, with an estimated production of just the lint at 3 million tons. If the result is confirmed, the harvest returns to the level of volume produced before the pandemic period.
Wheat presented an adjustment in the production of the 2022 harvest after the conclusion of the objective survey of the crop’s productivity. The new estimate for the cereal harvest is 10.6 million tons, a growth of 37.4% compared to the 2021 harvest.
