Weather-related factors resulted
into losses to several vegetable
species in the Country
EXPANSIONINSUMMER
In a comparison between the summer
crops in 2015/16 and 2016/17 growing sea-
sons, considering all major crops and the
biggest production regions throughout the
Country,theCenterforAppliedStudiesonAd-
vanced Economics (Cepea) ascertains indi-
cations of area expansions. Biggest increase
occur inpotatoes, at 5.91%, justifiedby the in-
dustrialexpansioninthemodalityofpre-fried
frozenpotatoes,with importson the rise.
Positive perspectives have equally ex-
panded onion plantations (4.4%) and are
supposedtoattractnewinvestorsfortheseg-
mentofcarrots(withanexpansionof3.29%).
Relyingon the same source, the industrial to-
mato sector also registersmore investments,
with a planted area 1.55-percent bigger,
whilst table tomatoes have receded 2.93% in
important growing regions, “and the reason
lies in the lowproductivity rates in thewinter
crop”. With a crop of upwards of 1.3 million
tons, Brazil ranks as seventh global produc-
er of this item for processing, as disclosed by
the8thBrazilian Industrial TomatoCongress.
Leafy green vegetables have reached a
stable position in the biggest producing hub,
the green belt in São Paulo. With regard to
the two fruits inserted into the realmof oleri-
cultural products, melon and watermelon,
the organ ascertains reductions of 6.29%
and 1.47%, respectively, mainly due to wa-
ter shortages in Vale do São Francisco, in the
first case, and matters of climate and profit-
ability in the other, in Rio Grande do Sul. The
two crops occupy a relevant position in ex-
ports, where the watermelons produced in
theNortheast occupya topposition.
Another relevant product, also viewed as
anoliculturalcropandaloneoutstripstheoth-
er products of the sector, cassava should re-
cover space throughout 2016 and 2017, say
sources fromthe Brazilian Institute of Geogra-
phy and Statistics (IBGE). In November 2016,
the crop was estimated to go up by 2.7% in
areaand3.6%inproduction. Ataconjuncture-
orientedanalysiscarriedoutinthesecondhalf
of the year, the National Food Supply Agency
(Conab) explains that “the higher production
volumes stem from the recovery of the prices
due to falling production over the past years”,
withthebiggestareavariationstakingplacein
statesofParáandAmazon,leadingproducers.
sources. They also refer to potatoes sold
at the São PauloWholesale Market (Ceag-
esp), which “registered much higher pric-
es than in the previous season”. On the
other hand, this situation, along with the
weakened purchasing power of the pop-
ulation, has reflections on sales, where a
wholesale-oriented survey conducted by
the Brazilian Modernization Program of
the Horticultural Market (Prohort), of the
National Food Supply Agency (Conab),
ascertains a reduction in volumes sold,
in 2015 (2.15%) and in 2016.
Another aspect highlighted by CNA
sources, which interfered with the profits
of the sector in 2016, was the 20-percent
rise, on average, of input costs, “especial-
ly, due to the higher value of the dollar in
the first half of the year”. As for 2017, the
confederation has it that the problems do
not encourage the farmers, who are ex-
pected to continue investing in techno-
logical innovations for reasons of growing
productivity rates and competitiveness,
following on the heels of medium and
commercial farmers in the past decade
in regions like Cristalina (GO), São Gotar-
do (MG) and Chapada Diamantina (Bahia).
PODERIOOLERÍCOLA
Olericulturalpower
NúmerossobrehortaliçasnoBrasil
Ano
2015 Var.s/2014(%)
Área(milha)
752
-2,7
Produção(milhõest)
17,8
-5,3
Produtividade(t/ha)
23,7
-1,4
Valorprodução(R$bi)
23,23
8,5
Disponibilidade(kg/hab/a)
87,37
-5,6
BALAIO
Principaisprodutos
%dototal
Var.2011-15(%)
Tomate
23,4
-5,2
Batata
21,7
-1,3
Melancia
11,9
-3,6
Cebola
8,1
-5,1
Cenoura
4,3
-0,4
Batata-doce
3,3
5,8
Melão
2,9
4,5
Alho
0,7
-18,2
Fonte:IBGE/FAO/EmbrapaHortaliças
PELARAIZ
Mandioca
2015
Var.
Var.
s/2014(%) s/2011(%)
Área(milha)
1.516
-3,5
12,7
Produção(milhõest)
23,1
-0,8
-9,0
Valorprodução(R$bi)
8,2
-13,8
15,4
Fonte:IBGE-PAM.
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