RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Brazil expects to see a record high agricultural output this year of 239.8 million metric tons of cereals, legumes and oilseeds, a 5.9 percent increase compared to 2018.
According to data released on Tuesday by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), this year's grain crop is set to be the largest in history, exceeding the 238.4 million tons of grain produced in 2017.
Some 62.9 million hectares of land are expected to be cultivated this year, a 3.2 percent increase over 2018.
Rice, corn and soybean account for 92.7 percent of the year's estimated agricultural output, and for 87.2 percent of land to be cultivated.
The agricultural sector expects to see a 21.5 percent increase in the production of corn compared to 2018, while soybean and rice will see a 3.9 percent and a 12.7 percent decrease in output, respectively.
That's because land set aside for corn cultivation is expected to see a 6.8 percent increase compared to last year, while areas set aside for soybean and rice are expected to shrink by 2.3 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively.
