City of Sorriso in Mato Grosso state continues as capital of Brazil’s agribusiness

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Located in the state of Mato Grosso, which depends on soybeans and corn, Sorriso lived up to its nickname of “the capital of Brazilian agribusiness” and maintained its leadership position among the cities with the highest value of agricultural production in the country in 2020.

The city is also the largest individual soybean producer in the world.  Sorriso belongs to the microregion of Alto Teles Pires and mesoregion of Mato Grosso North and its population is estimated at 92,769 inhabitants, according to IBGE data from 2020. It is at an altitude of 365 meters.

According to data from the Municipal Agricultural Survey (PAM) published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), revenues in Sorriso reached R$5.3 (US$1) billion, 35.5% more than in 2019 and 1.1% of the national record of R$470.5 billion, up 30.4%.

São Desidério (BA), strong in soybean and cotton production, overtook Sapezal (MT) and its growing grain and fiber crop to take second place in the municipal ranking with R$4.6 billion, up 44.6% from 2019.

In Sapezal, the value was R$4.3 billion, an increase of 26.9%. Among the top ten, Formosa do Rio Preto (BA) and Maracaju (MS) entered the ranking in 2020, while Jataí (GO) and Diamantino (MT) left it.

The fourth Brazilian city with the highest value of agricultural production was Campo Novo do Parecis (MT) with R$3.79 billion, followed by Formosa do Rio Preto (BA) with R$3.74 billion, Nova Ubiratã (MT) with R$3.47 billion, Cristalina (GO) with R$3.44 billion and Maracaju (MS) with R$3.37 billion. Also in the top 10 are Rio Verde (GO), with R$3.32 billion, and Nova Mutum (MT), with R$3.22 billion.

The PAM data show a concentration of value-added in agriculture in the country. The 50 municipalities with the highest agricultural production values concentrated almost a quarter – 22.7% or R$106.9 billion – of the total in 2020. Of these 50, 20 were from Mato Grosso, six from Bahia, and six from Mato Grosso do Sul.

In general, the excellent performance of agriculture in 2020 led Brazil to set three new records in the PAM series that began in 1974: In addition to production value, the area planted and the amount of grain produced was the highest in history.

Data released yesterday by IBGE show that the area planted reached 83.4 million hectares (2.7% more than in 2019), and the harvest of cereals, pulses, and oilseeds was 255.4 million tons (+5%).

SOYBEANS, CORN, AND SUGARCANE

Soybeans contributed the most to the 2020 crop, producing 121.8 million metric tons. Oilseeds alone generated R$169.1 billion, 35% more than in 2019, accounting for more than one-third (35.9%) of the value of national agricultural production last year. In the first half of the 1990s, cultivation was third in Brazil’s ranking.

For the first time since 2008, corn overtook sugarcane to occupy second place in the ranking of the value of agricultural production, with R$73.949 billion, an increase of 55.4% over 2019.

Corn production increased by 2.8%, reaching a record of 104.0 million tons. The value of sugarcane production amounted to R$60.8 billion.

Corn production increased by 2.8% to a record 104 million tons, with a 4.2% increase in cultivated area. The value of agricultural sugarcane production was R$60.8 billion, representing 12.9% of the total output. Cereals thus accounted for 15.7% of total revenues.

This year, although coffee was severely affected by drought, it was the fourth most important product in 2020, with a production value of R$27.3 billion, up 54.4% from the previous year. Coffee production reached 3.7 million tons, up 22.9% compared to 2020. Brazil is the world leader in soybean, sugarcane, and coffee production; it ranks third in corn.

According to PAM, after overtaking São Paulo as the state with the highest value of agricultural production in 2019, Mato Grosso extended its lead last year, led by Sorriso and Sapezal.

In Mato Grosso, the amount reached R$ 79.209 billion, representing a growth of 35.7% over 2019. The amount is more than R$11 billion higher than that of São Paulo, which reached R$68.013 billion – or 22.4% more than in 2019. Mato Grosso alone accounted for 16.8% of the value of Brazilian production in 2020, amounting to R$470.5 billion, compared to a 14.5% share in São Paulo.

Mato Grosso is the leader in soybean, corn, and cotton production, while São Paulo is the leader in sugarcane and orange production.

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