The top five corn growing states in Bra-
zil are now responsible for 73% of the total
production volume. In the 2014/15 grow-
ing season, Mato Grosso, Paraná, Mato Gros-
so do Sul, Goiás and Minas Gerais produced
61.7 million tons of the cereal, ac-
cording to a survey by the National
Food Supply Agency (Conab). The
State of Mato Grosso continues on
the top of the list, with more than
3.9416millionhectares andproduc-
tion of 20.7 million tons. The trend
is for the State to remain in its lead-
ership position in the 2015/2016
growing season, with production
projections slightly smaller, 19 mil-
lion tons – caused by lower produc-
tivity in the winter crop.
In terms of profitability, the
South occupies a prominent po-
sition compared to the other corn
producing areas. In the past crop
year, the farmers in Santa Catari-
na achieved an average of 7,750 ki-
lograms of corn per hectare. Fol-
lowed by Rio Grande do Sul, with
6,560 kilograms per hectare, and
Paraná, second largest national pro-
ducer, with 6,457 kilograms per
hectare. Despite the problems that
are likely to interfere with the results of the
second crop in the entire Country, the trend
is for the three southern states to repeat the
good productive results this year, reaching
higher yields than the other regions.
In Rio Grande do Sul, ranking as second
in productivity, the results are rather satisfacto-
ry for a series of reasons. According to Thomé
Luiz Freire Guth, manager of the oilseeds and
livestock department at the National Food Sup-
ply Agency (Conab), explanations in-
clude soil conditions and altitude,
which are favorable to hybrids of high
performance. Furthermore, he ex-
plains that theStateonly seeds corn in
the summer crop, period less suscep-
tible to bad weather conditions, like
droughts and frost conditions, and
higher precipitation indices.
The analyst understands that it
is of fundamental importance for
the corn producing states to make
rational use of the inputs, thus di-
minishing costs and boosting the
efficiency of every product. “This
reduces losses of pesticides and fer-
tilizers, avoids the excess or lack of
nutrients”, he clarifies. Correct man-
agement could boost internal pro-
duction even further, in this crop es-
timated at 76 million tons – the total
consumption of corn in the Country
nowadays, if domestic demand and
exports are calculated, reaches ap-
proximately 90million tons.
A pioneer grain
Most Brazilian states where corn is now grown are located in the
Cerrado region, like Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Goiás
A new reality
Until early 2000, the production of corn in Brazil was concentrated in the South and Southeast and in the State of Goiás, account-
ing for 70% of the entire crop produced in Brazil. However, as of 2001, the dynamics of the production of the cereal shifted to other
directions. According to agronomist Alan Fabricio Malinski, in the 2015/16 growing season the total amount of these states represents
only 45%. Technical cereal, fiber and oilseed advisor of the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), he stresses that
there are several factors that explain these changes in the supply chain, like the expansion of agriculture to the Cerrado.
The introduction of soybean in the States of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás was also responsible for the introduction
of corn, which was initially cultivated only in rotation, for the purpose of mulch. Soon, however, the farmers found out the advantag-
es of the second crop, which jumped from 24% of the planted area in the 2001/02 growing season to 60% in the 2015/16 season, turn-
ing into the main crop of the cereal. “The soaring trend of corn in the second crop took place as a result of the development of early
soybean varieties, which liberated areas for the production of corn in the cerrado regions as of the second half of January, until early
March, period viewed as ideal for cultivating this cereal”, he justifies.
Inor Ag. Assmann
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