President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff announced that Brazil’s grain production grew 221% over the past twenty years as the area planted increased by only 41% due to improvements in infrastructure and technology. Government funding of agriculture increased from US$11.25 billion in 2002/03 to US$56.66 billion for the current season funding infrastructure projects such as the construction of silos to reduce post-harvest losses and the modernization of ports and highways for the transportation and exportation of crops. The president’s announcement came as forecasts indicate that Brazil could reach a record harvest of 193.6 tons of grain this harvest – up 3.6% from 2012/13.
To receive relevant news stories with summaries provided by GAI Research & Insight, subscribe to Global AgDevelopments, our free bi-weekly enhanced eNews service