Bianca Paiva
Agência Brasil

Brasília – The National Supply Company (Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento) (Conab) has just released its third report on the 2005/2006 grain harvest. Although the report shows that the total amount of cropland will decrease 4.3%, compared to the last harvest, there will be a 9.3% increase in total production, reaching 124.4 million tons, an increase of 10.5 million tons over the 2004/2005 grain harvest.

It is expected that this year the Central-West and South regions will have big harvests of soy and corn, after serious problems last year with drought.

Farmers reduced their cropland this year because they had a bad time last year, says the Conab president, Jacinto Ferreira. Among farmer problems were an unfavorable exchange rate, nasty weather and, the result of the other problems, less income. "By planting on less land it is possible that farmers will recover their losses and expand cropland next year," says Ferreira.

Translation: Allen Bennett