Brazil crops expected to total 271.9 million tons in 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s 2022 crops are likely to reach a record 271.9 million tons, up 7.4% —or 18.7 million tons — from 253.2 million in 2021.

The Systematic Survey on Agricultural Production, published yesterday by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), shows that the area to be harvested covers 71.2 million hectares — 3.8% (2.6 million hectares) more than 2021 and 0.3% (217,200 hectares) larger than forecast last month.

Combined, rice, corn, and soybeans account for 93% of projected output and 97.8% of the area harvested. Compared to 2021, areas increased by 5.8% percent for corn, 7.2% for upland cotton, and 3.6% for soybeans. The area for rice decreased 0.9% and 1.7% for wheat.

Soybeans production is expected to stand at 131.8 million tons, down 4.7% from the third forecast in January, and 2.3% from the yield in the previous year.

Corn was estimated at 109.9 million tons— 0.9% up from the previous month and 25.2% up from 2021. Brazil’s rice output is expected to total 11 million tons, down 4.9% from last year.