MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil expects a new record crop totalling 158.7 million tons

Soy, corn and rice are Brazil’s main crops covering 82.5% of farmland

Brazil will harvest this year a record crop of 158.7 million tons, 6% higher than last year’s 149.7 million tons, according to the latest release from the country’s Geography and Statistics Institute, IBGE.

The estimate is based on data collected from the field during April, which indicates that the production of grains, oilseeds and leguminous this year will be 2% larger than the 155.6 million tons March estimate.

The estimate is similar to that released Tuesday by Brazil’s National Supplies Company, Conab, which estimates a record 159.5 million tons for the crop year extending from August 2010 to July 2011.

Conab says that the current harvest will be 6.9% higher than the previous (2009/2010) which totalled 149.2 million tons. Good climate conditions plus greater areas for beans, soy, cotton and rice were crucial for the overall result.

The IBGE release says that 48.6 million hectares were planted this season which is 4.3% more than in 2009/10. Soy, corn and rice are Brazil’s three main crops covering 82.5% of the planted farmland.

The corn area was up 4.1%; soybeans, 2.8% and rice, 2.1%. Brazil’s soybean crop is estimated to reach a new record, 72.8 million tons; rice, 13.4 million tons, up 18.4% and corn, up 3% will reach 57.7 million tons. Of the 25 crops, according to IBGE, 15 will be larger this year. The crops with most volume over a year ago are cotton, up 69.5%; potato, first crop, 13.3% and potato second crop with 13.4%.