Absoluteleader intheproductionofcorn, cottonand
cattlebreeding,MatoGrossonourishesambitious
planstoexpanditsagribusinessoperations
For years, the State of Mato Grosso has
been the driving force behind Brazilian
agribusiness. Favorable climate and topo-
graphic conditions, along with technology
and available land were determining fac-
tors for the state to consolidate its position
as the largest producer of all major Brazil-
ian agricultural commodities.
The plans are for this driving force to
propel even further, and with extra pow-
er, the national economy. Projections by
the Mato Grosso State Agricultural Econ-
omy Institute (Imea), jointly with the Fed-
eral University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) and
with the Mato Grosso State Federation of
Agriculture and Cattle Breeding (Famato),
anticipate the migration of agricultural op-
erations to pastureland, particularly in the
regions towards the North, Northeast and
Northwest of the State, by 2025. Soybean is
likely to keep its position as protagonist of
this fantastic performance. A huge jump in
production is estimated, from 29.4 million
tons in the 2016/17 growing season to 46.2
million tons in the 2024/25 crop year.
Of the 20 largest soybean producing
municipalities in Brazil, 14 are located in
Mato Grosso. The State holds a leading po-
sition in six agricultural crops. The town of
Sorriso is the epitome of all this vigor. It is
the Brazilian leader in planted area and
production volume. The most recent data
Imposing
giant
released by the Brazilian Institute of Ge-
ography and Statistics (IBGE) date back to
2014. In this survey, Sorriso occupies the
prominent position of a planted area of
630 thousand hectares, and a harvest of
1,981,000 tons, representing 2.3% of the
entire national production volumes.
Although the Center-North region is the
leader in the state as far as production goes,
with 34% of the 9.23 million hectares to be
devoted to agricultural crops in Mato Gros-
so, in the 2016/2017 growing season, the
stridestowardstheNorthernandNortheast-
ern regions of the State capturemuch atten-
tion. Over the past five years, the increase of
theplantedarea in theNorth reached159%,
with an increase of 180% in production.
A relevant characteristic of soybean cul-
tivations inMatoGrosso, over thepast years,
is the constantly increasing industrialization
of the kernel in the State, thus generating
dividends. “We are no longer just soybean
growers. Shipments abroad still absorb
huge volumes, 53%, but about 31% of the
soybean produced in the State is processed
here,and15%inotherstates”,explainsImea
technical manager ÂngeloOzelame.
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