With a super harvest this year (a record expectation of more than 119,9 million tons), Brazil overtook the United States and became the world’s largest producer of soybeans.
In fact, soy should make Brazil have a national grain record this year, with 247,4 million tons.
American projections indicate that the Brazilian market for this crop will consolidate in the position also in the next harvest, reinforcing the good performance of Brazilian agriculture, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The expectation is that 2021 will also be a year of good soybean harvest, with more than 130 million tons.
This year’s production was not even higher because, in recent months, Rio Grande do Sul suffered a lot from the lack of rain and harvested less than expected.
Even so, production is more than 5,6% higher than last year, according to IBGE data. Already in the calculations of Conab (National Supply Company), it was a little lower (5,1%), with 120,88 million tons.
Brazil reaches the post of largest soy producer and should remain in the coming years
Disputed market
In 2018, Brazil had already beaten the United States as the world’s largest soybean producer, but by a very small difference.
Last year, Brazilian producers faced weather problems and lost to the Americans (the record in total national production was guaranteed by corn).
Now, US soybean production for the 2019/2020 harvest was 96,68 million tons, in the most recent estimate from the US Department of Agriculture.
grain harvest
The national grain harvest should break a new record and reach 247,4 million tons in 2020, according to the June estimate of the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA), released by the IBGE.
This corresponds to an increase of 0,6% compared to the May forecast and 2,5% compared to the 2019 harvest, an increase of 6 million tonnes.
This growth in the annual comparison results mainly from the increase in the projection for soybeans and 0,4% for cotton (more 6,9 million tons), both records in the historical series.
The estimate of wheat production is 33% higher (7 million tons) than last year.
Another record projection by the IBGE is for the production of arabica coffee, which should reach 2,6 million tons this year (44,5 million bags of 60 kg), an increase of 28,9% compared to last year’s crop. .
As a result, Brazil maintains its hegemony in world coffee production.
See also: Check the ideal climate for soy production and increase your profits
