Brasília, 7/11/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - This year's grain harvest is expected to reach over 120 million tons, an increase of slightly more than 24% over last year's harvest.

According to minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, Brazilian cropland now totals 43.4 million hectares, an increase of 8% over 2002/2003 (when it was 40.2 million hectares).

As for the crops, the soybean harvest should be a record 52.2 million tons, up 24.6%. Wheat will reach 4.55 million tons, up 56.1%. Corn, which is harvested twice annually, will total 45.8 million tons, up almost 30%. Beans are expected to be up 7.6%, cotton up 10.7%. Rice is the only crop that will not increase production, dropping very slightly, from 10.6 million tons to 10.4 million tons.

Rodrigues says this year's record harvest is the result of professionalization and capitalization, and expanded use of technology. "The seeds are better, the fertilizer is the best; soil analysis is reaching perfection and farm machinery is now brand new," he said, adding that good weather also offered a helping hand.

The minister pointed out that between the harvests of 1990/1991 and 2002/2003, there was an increase of 14.8% in cropland. "During the same period production rose over 107%, or around 6.3% per year. And that shows that farming can be profitable in Brazil," he concluded. (AB)