Brazil has confirmed that the 2022/23 grain harvest has reached a new record at an estimated 293 million tonnes.
Data released this week by Conab, the Brazilian government’s food supply and statistics agency, outlined that this volume represents an increase of 18.4% or 45 million tonnes in the amount of grain harvested when compared with the previous season.
The result is a reflection both of a larger planted area, reaching 78.5 million hectares, and also of a better registered average productivity, going from 3,656 kg/ha to 4,111 kg/ha, Conab said.
The agency had initially forecast a harvest of 283 million tonnes.
Harvest
The production of soya bean in Brazil in the 2022/23 harvest reached a new record of an estimated at 140 million tonnes, up 23.2% on the previous season.
Conab noted the effects of the La Nina weather phenomenon were concentrated on the state of Rio Grande do Sul, but on a smaller scale than previously.
The climate was “quite favourable” in other states, with some delays in the sowing and harvesting period, it said.
The data also shows that there will be the largest ever recorded corn harvest in Brazil reaching almost 120 million tonnes.
According to the crop progress report, released this week by the Conab, around 89% of the sown area had already been harvested. For the third harvest, the estimated production is 2.1 million tonnes.
However, the reduction in rainfall that occurred in July and August restricted the productive potential in most of the producing regions.
The data shows there was a reduction in the planted area for rice and beans due to competition from other crops which were more profitable at the time.
As a result, rice production is down 7% and legumes are down by 1.7% compared to the previous harvest.
Almost 3.5 million hectares of wheat has been planted with an estimated production of 9.8 million tonnes, 2.5% above the previous season.