Conab estimates record grain production

The estimate of grain production in Brazil for the 2022/23 harvest is at 313.9 million tons, according to the 8th Grain Harvest Survey, released this Thursday (11) by the National Supply Company (Conab). The volume is 15.2% higher than that recorded in the previous harvest (2021/22), a percentage that stems from an increase of 41.4 million tons.

If expectations are confirmed, Brazil will set a new record in its historical series. According to Conab, the estimated average performance should also be a record, with 4,048 kilos per hectare.

The total area used for production increased by 4%, reaching 77.5 million hectares.

“This yield is reached even in a crop year under the influence of the La Niña climatic phenomenon, especially at the beginning of the season, but on a smaller scale. If we compare with the past season, the adverse weather had an impact in Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina and part of Mato Grosso do Sul. In this cycle, the effects were more concentrated in the state of Rio Grande do Sul”, explains the Crop Monitoring manager, Fabiano Vasconcellos.

corn and soy

Conab points out that the estimated corn production is 125.5 million tons, and that this represents an increase of 12.4 million tons compared to 2021/22.

The first grain crop was sown in 4.4 million hectares. The completed harvest was close to 27 million tons, a number 8.1% higher than the previous harvest. Conab remembers that the good result was obtained despite the climatic problems registered in Rio Grande do Sul.

“As for the second harvest, a harvest of 96.1 million tons is expected. The crop is already sown, and about 74.4% of the crops are flowering and grain filling. In these stages, the climate is still a major factor and Conab will monitor the development of the culture”, informed the company.

The expectation is that soybean production will be a record, with a harvest of 154.8 million tons. The volume is 23.3% higher than the previous harvest. According to Conab, the increase is due to increased productivity and planted area.

Beans, rice, cotton

Conab says that bean production was favored by the “good weather conditions recorded during the development of the 2nd harvest”, with positive impacts on productivity, and that this reflected in a production greater than expected.

“In Paraná, the improvement in the performance of color bean crops reaches 16.2%, going from 1,687 kg per hectare to 1,960 kg/ha, which results in an increase of 6.3% in expected production in the state. In Minas Gerais, in addition to the increase in productivity, there was a larger area destined for the grain. Thus, the new estimate for total bean production slightly exceeds 3 million tons.”

In the case of rice, the estimated production for the 2022/23 crop is 9.94 million tons, “the result of the drop in the area destined for the product, especially in Rio Grande do Sul, the largest producer of the grain”, details the company.

Cotton crops benefited from the increase in area and good weather conditions. The estimate is for a production 13.6% greater than that of the previous harvest, reaching around 2.9 million tons.