Rio - In the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA), released today by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), September's estimates represent an improvement in the forecasts for the 2004 harvest. The figures suggest that the overall production of cereals, legumes, and oilseed plants should attain 119,522 million tons this year, up from the 119,386 million tons predicted in August.

This result is still 3.22% less than the 123,632 million tons produced in 2003, the biggest harvest in the history of Brazilian agriculture. Estimates for this year's harvest were tending in a downward direction: The estimates in August were 0.08% lower than in July.

According to the IBGE, among the country's macro-regions, the South should produce 49 million tons this year, 41% of the entire crop; the Center-West, 39,354 million (33%); the Southeast, 17,576 million (15%); the Northeast, 9,647 million (8%); and the North, 3,466 million (just 3% of the country's total).

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Nielmar de Oliveira
Translator: David Silberstein
10/27/2004