June 15, 2011

Brazil sees grain production growing 23% by 2021

Production of Brazil's main grains - soy, corn, rice, beans, and wheat - will grow around 23% by 2021, the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry said in a statement Tuesday (Jun 14).

Output is expected to jump by 32.9 million tonnes to 175.8 million tonnes in the 2020-21 harvest, up from an estimated 142.9 million tonnes in the 2010-11 cycle.

Soy production alone is projected to hit 86.5 million tonnes in a decade, representing growth of 25.9%. Last year, the country produced 68.7 million tonnes of soy.

Corn output, meanwhile, is seen rising 23.8% in ten years to 65.5 million tonnes, while rice production is expected to grow by 1.2 million tonnes, to 13.7 million tonnes.

The forecast for grains considers a 9.5% increase in planted areas over the next decade, to 68 million hectares.

The ministry also forecasts that Brazil's production of chicken, beef, and pork will expand 27% over the next ten years to hit 31.2 million tonnes.