Thanks to an expansion of the cultivated area, Brazil will harvest a record crop in 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The result will allow the country to recover some of the losses incurred in 2021 when production was severely affected by a severe drought in the first months of the year and frosts in June and July.

One of the world’s largest food exporters, Brazil will harvest 261.5 million tons of grain in 2022, 3.3% more than in 2021 (253.2 million tons), which would set a new record, according to a forecast released Thursday by the government.

This year, Brazilian production of cereals, pulses, and oilseeds will be 8.3 million tons higher than last year’s harvest, mainly due to a 4.9% increase in cultivated area to 71.9 million hectares.

The result will allow the country to recover some of the losses incurred in 2021 when production was severely affected by a severe drought in the first months of the year and by frosts that hit vital growing areas in June and July.

With adverse weather still being felt this year, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), responsible for forecasting, had lowered its forecast in recent months, having projected a 2022 crop of 278 million tons when it first visited the country in December.

Despite this revision, production in 2022 will not only be 3.3% higher than in 2021 but also 2.9% higher than in 2020 (254.1 million tons), the most significant production in the country’s history to date.

The slight growth is made possible by a 4.9% expansion in planted area, from 68.6 million hectares in 2021 to 71.9 million hectares in 2022.

Soybeans, corn, and rice, the three most-produced cereals in Brazil in that order, will together account for 87.8% of total planted area and 92.2% of total production.

Corn area expanded by 8.1%, cotton area by 10.4%, and soybean area by 4.2% (to 40.4 million hectares), while wheat and rice area decreased by 2.9% and 2%, respectively.

Brazilian soybean production is forecast to decline 12.2% to 118.5 million tons this year, corn production will increase 27.5% to 111.9 million tons, and rice production will decrease 8.5% to 10.6 million tons.

The institute forecasts cotton production to increase by 11.6% to 6.5 million tons and wheat to increase by 1.4% to 7.9 million tons for other products.

Coffee production is forecast at 3.3 million tons (54.9 million 60-kilogram bags) this year, up 12 percent from 2021.

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