EFE News Services reports that Brazil will harvest 145.1 million tons of grain this year, a volume close to the record 145.8 million tons gathered in 2008. Brazil officials say production of grains, legumes and oil plants in 2010 will be 8.5% greater than in 2009, according to forecasts by the IBGE statistics agency on the basis of February field data.

Land under cultivation will grow by 1.5% compared with 2009, eventually reaching 47.9 million hectares, or 118.27 million acres, IBGE says. Crop growth this year will be achieved mainly by the 17.4% boost to soybean production and a 2.6% increase in corn.
Soybean is the chief grain produced in Brazil, accounting for just under half of the total grain output.

Soy, corn and rice, the three main crops, occupy 81.5 % of all the cropland in the country.
Soybean production this year will reach 66.9 million tons, thanks to improved climatic conditions and the increase in the area under cultivation, while 52.4 million tons of corn will be produced. Brazil, the world's top grower and exporter of coffee, will produce 2.8 million tons of the bean this year, 14.4% more by volume than last year.