Soy leads production value in agriculture with R$ 104 billion

Soy, sugar cane and corn are the crops that have the greatest impact on Brazil's economy. According to the latest edition of the Agricultural Census, the value of the country's vegetable production in 2017 was R$308 billion; soybeans, which easily occupy the top of the ranking, are responsible for contributing R$104 billion – that is, more than a third of the country's total vegetable production.

In second place, sugar cane contributed R$49 billion, followed by corn grain, with R$34 billion, and Arabica coffee, with R$13,5 billion. Rice, with R$8,6 billion, also saw a jump in production value and rose from seventh to fifth position between 2006 and 2017.

The increase in soybean production can be observed in comparison with the 2006 Agricultural Census. During this period, the harvested area increased by 72%, the number of establishments increased by 9% and the quantity produced increased by 123%. With this, soybeans took the lead in production value for the first time in an agricultural census, displacing sugar cane, traditionally the champion in production value.

Brazil is, today, the world's second largest producer of soybeans. According to 2018 data from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the majority of soy produced in Brazil is destined for export, whether as bran, oil or, mainly, grain, generating US$40,9 billion in value.  

IBGE's Agricultural Coordinator, Octávio Oliveira, explains that one of the factors that contributed to boosting production was the increase in demand for chicken meat, pork and eggs. “As both soybeans and corn are essential for animal feed, consequently, we have a greater demand for these grains,” he explained.

Octávio also comments that, despite losing space to soybeans, sugarcane has remained stable, as demand is still high. Among other factors is the versatility of the product, which serves as raw material for biofuel, sugar for export and the alcohol that is added to gasoline.