MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil expects record harvest of wheat and moves closer to self sufficiency

Brazilian scientists have developed new seeds which help wheat grow in semi tropical conditions

The Brazilian wheat crop should reach 10.935 million tons as 2022 yields in four states are likely to increase output in what will be a record harvest for local farmers.

Agribusiness consultants Safras & Mercado said that the new estimate represents an increase from the 10.5 million tons previously expected.

The adjustment takes into account the likely rise in output in the states of Parana, Sao Paulo, Goias, Bahia and in the Federal District.

The new forecast underscores that Brazil is on track to produce all of the wheat it needs in the space of 10 years or less, as the government has predicted and planned.

Brazil remains a net importer and buys most of its wheat from neighboring Argentina, but that may soon change.

If projections are confirmed, Brazil’s wheat production this year will be 41.2% higher than the 7.745 million tons in 2021, which was already a record, Safras said.

With the development of new wheat varieties, Brazilian farmers are able to cultivate wheat seeds which adapt to tropical conditions.

This has boosted the country’s production potential as cultivation moves to hotter and drier farms in the center of the country, in the Cerrado biome, where growers traditionally plant corn and soybeans.

Safras said Parana will be the second largest wheat producing state this season, with 4.2 million tons, behind top producer Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, where farmers are expected to reap 5.1 million tons this season.