Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team 147.45.197.102 : c961b505-12ad-4914-a783-77e80177 RIO DE JANEIRO: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by half last year as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government bolstered environmental policing to crack down on surging destruction the news was far less bright from the crucial Cerrado savanna below the rainforest where clear-cutting hit a new annual record last year according to the national space research agency's DETER surveillance program Satellite monitoring detected 5,152 square kilometers (nearly 2,000 square miles) of forest cover destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon last year That still represented a loss 29 times the size of Washington DC in Brazil's share of the world's biggest rainforest whose carbon-absorbing trees play a vital role in curbing climate change a biodiversity hotspot whose ecosystems are intricately linked with the Amazon's lost over 7,800 square kilometers of native vegetation last year the highest since monitoring began in 2018 “We saw some important victories on the environment in 2023 The significant reduction in deforestation in the Amazon was a highlight,“ said Mariana Napolitano of environmental group WWF-Brasil “But unfortunately we aren’t seeing the same trend in the Cerrado.. That is harming the biome and the extremely important ecosystem services it provides And we saw the impact at the end of the year Environmental groups have accused the Lula government of turning a blind eye to the destruction of the lesser-known Cerrado to appease the powerful agribusiness lobby The figures for both the Amazon and Cerrado were updated through December 29 the total area razed in the two regions was 12,980 square kilometers in 2023 After beating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a divisive election in 2022 veteran leftist Lula returned to office on January 1 vowing “Brazil is back” as a partner in the fight against climate change Agribusiness ally Bolsonaro (2019-2022) had drawn international criticism for presiding over a 75-percent increase in average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon versus the previous decade Experts say the destruction in both the Amazon and Cerrado is driven mainly by farming and cattle ranching in Brazil the world's top exporter of soybeans and beef Tel: +603-7784 6688      Fax: +603-7785 2625 The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed São Desidério (Brazil) -- People thought she was crazy when Carminha Maria Missio and her family bought what was considered "sterile" land in the Brazilian savanna to farm soybeans a beaming grandmother named one of the most powerful women in agriculture by Forbes Brasil remembers the surprised reactions when her poor southern family sold their land in 1979 and moved across the country to the "Cerrado," a huge savanna below the Amazon rainforest the Cerrado is Earth's most biodiverse savanna nicknamed the "cradle of waters" for its vital rivers and aquifers its twisted trees and grasslands replaced by endless fields of grains and cotton Even as Brazil races to stop Amazon deforestation experts warn environmental destruction is surging in the Cerrado fueling violent land-grabs and exacerbating the climate crisis Some scientists say the Amazon and Cerrado are equally important for the planet But when she arrived in the northeastern state of Bahia the Cerrado was widely seen as a "wasteland," says Missio "Locals said the only thing you could grow here was lizards," she laughs Sleeping under tarps and sweating in the tropical sun her family joined a stream of pioneers who literally bet the farm on transforming this once-vast wilderness It worked: the Cerrado is now a global breadbasket making Brazil the world's top exporter of soybeans and It grew half the 155 million metric tons of soy Brazil produced last year the county leading Brazil in deforestation this year the landscape after harvest season looks like a giant quilt the green patches of remaining savanna surrounded by vast brown fields The savanna is typically cleared using a "correntao" -- a large chain strung between two bulldozers and dragged across the ground A Switzerland-sized area has burned in the Cerrado this year nutrient-poor soil is all about scale: producers invest big in irrigation financed by global commodity giants like US-based Bunge and Cargill But experts warn irrigation and soil degradation are drying the region A recent study found river flows have decreased 15 percent from their historic averages The Cerrado has become a "sacrificial ecosystem," says Leticia Verdi President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has largely delivered on his promise to protect the world's biggest rainforest halving deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon since taking office in January But destruction has increased 27 percent in the Cerrado from last year including 659 square kilometers (254 square miles) razed in September "There's been a spillover of deforestation from the Amazon to the Cerrado," says Verdi Yet "the Cerrado is just as important as the Amazon in confronting the climate crisis," Rodrigo Agostinho Scientists say the two are intricately linked The savanna depends on the precipitation generated by the rainforest The rainforest meanwhile depends on the savanna to feed the rivers crisscrossing its southern half Both remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere -- the rainforest through its billions of trees The Cerrado is a mirror-image of the Amazon in other ways an estimated 95 percent of deforestation is illegal around 95 percent is officially authorized of outsize agribusiness influence on regional authorities Brazilian law allows landowners in the Amazon to deforest just 20 percent of their property The opposite applies in most of the Cerrado: farmers must preserve just 20 percent of their land Joao da Silva lives in a shack in a rural community with no indoor plumbing or electricity But the 50-year-old smallholder has five security cameras mounted outside He had them installed after gunmen surrounded his home in 2018 while he was out Gunmen in a pickup later tried to ram his car and threatened to kill him that the 'owners' were evicting us," says the father of five He also survived a stabbing attack at a local market in 2016 Activists say Da Silva -- whose name has been changed for his safety -- and his neighbors are victims of "green land-grabbing," in which landholders seize un-deforested territory to claim it as their 20-percent protected reserves Leaders of several traditional cattle-herding communities told AFP of being targeted by gunmen who killed their cows torched their farm buildings and opened fire on them where 377 land and environmental defenders have been killed since 2012 Working the room with a preacher's charisma Mario Alberto dos Santos is giving 40 middle-school students a crash course in sustainable agriculture in the poor Cerrado town of Ponte de Mateus a professor at the Federal University of Western Bahia teaches teenagers eco-friendly techniques like growing native species organic farming and interspersing crops with trees The program aims to train the next generation to farm with nature It is a "long road to walk," Dos Santos admits "We need to profoundly change the food system Climate campaigners are meanwhile pushing commodity-importing countries to demand clean environmental and human-rights records from suppliers The European Union adopted a regulation this year requiring companies to show products are deforestation-free The policy is a "game-changer" for the Amazon But it excludes most of the Cerrado -- not technically "forest." Environmentalists are pushing the EU to extend the policy to "other wooded lands." Adding those three words could transform the Cerrado "It's a major opportunity to transition to more sustainable farming." Your comment will be reviewed before being posted Clothing giants H&M and Zara have been linked to large-scale illegal deforestation, land-grabbing, violence and corruption in the Brazilian Cerrado, according to an investigation by Earthsight shipment records and by attending undercover global trade shows NGO tracked nearly a million tons of tainted cotton going from companies in western Bahia in supply chains serving H&M and Inditex SLC Agrícola and Grupo Horita (Horita Group) have a long history of illegal deforestation and environmental abuse The report also deplores the lack of supply chain traceability provided by Better Cotton (BC) a certification system that aims to ensure sustainability in cotton farming Yet investigators found that the cotton linked to illicit activities in the Cerrado carried the BC label yet it has lost more than half of its native vegetation to large-scale agriculture Brazil’s booming cotton industry is putting more pressure on the region which grows almost all of its cotton in the Cerrado is predicted to become the world’s top cotton supplier by 2030 “If you read Zara and H&M’s sustainability policies and human rights policies they don’t deny that they have a responsibility over their supply chains,” Rubens Carvalho Earthsight deputy director and report co-author “The problem is that they aren’t putting these policies into practice by properly checking and monitoring the supply chains.” SLC and Horita Group exported at least 816,000 tons of cotton from Bahia to foreign markets although the total amount could be almost double The two companies also supply eight Asian clothing factories that provide millions of finished cotton garments to H&M and Zara Horita Group and SLC’s business have long wreaked havoc on the Cerrado and its communities SLC has received more than $250,000 in fines from IBAMA while Norway’s pension fund stopped funding the company over its negative environmental record Bahia’s environment agency found 25,153 hectares (62,154 acres) of illegal deforestation on Horita farms at the Estrondo estate—a 200,000-hectare (494,000-acre) mega-farm in western Bahia — while in 2020 it indicated it could not find permits for 11,700 hectares (28,911 acres) of deforestation carried out by the company between 2010 and 2018 IBAMA fined Horita more than 20 times between 2010 and 2019 totaling $4.5 million for environmental violations The report also denounces Bahia’s government for mostly supporting agribusiness expansion and thus encouraging widespread land-grabbing and vegetation loss there’s a very intertwined and interdependent relationship as the private sector has a lot of influence and is often too close to the state,” said Julia Neiva development and socioenvironmental rights coordinator at Brazilian NGO Conectas with analysts arguing that the incident exposed significant deficiencies in the company’s monitoring system The certification used by the two retailers could also contribute to harm in the Cerrado as the tainted cotton identified had the BC label Although meant to guarantee a clean supply chain BC’s policies contain several weaknesses: Cotton is traced only to the country of origin not to individual farms; harm prevention is limited to Indigenous and traditional communities outside farms; those within farm boundaries while agribusinesses don’t need to obtain their full consent for projects affecting their livelihoods BC’s accreditation and compliance in Brazil is also based on a conflict of interest as the national cotton producers’ association Abrapa oversees BC implementation Pitta explained that after the 2008 financial crash international financiers looked for new investment opportunities in Brazilian agricultural commodities with the land required needing to come from somewhere “They [farmers] always need to expand in the area mechanization and productivity,” said Pitta using violence for creation of a new farms to produce commodities.” In response to Mongabay’s request for comment SLC denied many of the report’s accusations stating that its production is based on strict quality standards including certifications from Abrapa BC and the Responsible Brazilian Cotton Program The company also reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and respect for the environment and local communities in its areas of operation Horita and Abrapa did not respond to Mongabay’s requests for comment after seeing a draft report from Earthsight Horita denied the claims and threatened legal action against fake news Its response read: “The Horita Group does not have any hectares in its private property complexes that are used for agriculture that do not comply with environmental legislation All the points made by inspection bodies in the past were promptly proven to be in order or were subsequently regularized in accordance with environmental regulations.” stressing that producers seeking certification must follow a rigorous protocol involving hundreds of steps covering aspects from agricultural management to compliance with Brazilian environmental and labor legislation Abrapa said it trusts the independence of third-party audits and clarified that it does not directly approve or disqualify farms from the BC program while welcoming BC’s initiative to enhance audit diligence Responding to Mongabay’s request for comment H&M said report findings were highly concerning and that it takes them very seriously highlighting that BC had started a third-party investigation when the report was brought to its attention “We are in close dialogue with Better Cotton to follow the result of the investigation and the next steps that will be taken to strengthen and review their standard we kindly refer to Better Cotton for more information on the next steps that are being taken as a result of their investigation.” “We take the allegations against Better Cotton extremely seriously and we urge them to share the outcome of their third-party investigation as soon as possible and take any necessary measures to ensure a sustainable cotton certification that upholds the highest standards.” On April 8, Inditex sent a letter to BC CEO Alan McClay requesting clarity on the certification process and progress on traceability practices stating that it had waited more than six months for the results of an internal investigation by Better Cotton that was promised for the end of March and began in August 2023 “It’s clear from these companies’ responses that they have very little visibility over their cotton supply chains,” Carvalho said “They are relying on assurances provided by some of their suppliers that there is no problem.” “It’s very questionable whether BC can reform itself sufficiently to make sure that it is a scheme that can actually guarantee sustainable and legal cotton And this is the reason why we have been calling for regulation in supply chains.” Better Cotton said it has conducted an independent audit relating to three Better Cotton licensed farms in Bahia state and will make a summary of findings available if there is evidence that the farms do not comply with requirements of the Better Cotton Standard their licenses will be suspended or revoked,” it wrote “We will work closely with the Brazilian Cotton Growers’ Association our partner in Brazil and owner of the Brazilian Responsible Cotton Protocol a national program recognized as equivalent to Better Cotton’s Standard The report urges Brazil’s federal government to implement a comprehensive plan to halt all large-scale deforestation in the Cerrado It also calls on Bahia’s government to fulfill its constitutional duty by mapping all public lands to ensure preservation and uphold land rights for traditional communities It also calls on Western states fueling cotton consumption to boost regulation in the industry Earthsight singles out the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive would require large companies operating in the block to identify and minimize negative impacts on human rights and the environment in their supply chains It also calls on the block to review its EU Deforestation Regulation Earthsight demands that BC strengthens its standard and enforcement mechanisms And while H&M and Zara should push for that they should implement their own stringent ethical sourcing checks we’ve heard promises and commitments and pledges saying that they’re going to improve supply chain monitoring and guarantee sustainability,” Carvalho said Force companies to observe due diligence and to trace the commodities and raw materials they use back to origin.” FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa, as protected areas become battlegrounds over history, human rights, and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss. Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins, and trying to forge a path forward […] will account for an estimated 70 percent of the world's arable land growth through 2050 a representative for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said during a conference on Monday.Bojanic addressing the Global Agribusiness Forum in São Paulo said the UN food agency estimates the world's arable land will expand by 69 million hectares through 2050 with 49 million hectares of that growth taking place in Brazil.Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Nossos serviços estão apresentando instabilidade no momento Algumas informações podem não estar disponíveis 2023 10h00 AM | Last Updated: September 19 Value of production and grain harvest hit record figures in 2022 The value of production of the main agricultural crops in Brazil hit a record of r$ 830.1 billion in 2022 with an increase of 11.8% in relation to the previous year That was the biggest grain harvest ever registered in this time series The area planted in the country amounted to 91.1 million hectares The data can be found in the Municipal Agricultural Production “With the limitation to trade affecting the main agricultural commodities due to conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and the dollar keeping its value against the real the prices of the main agricultural products remained high,” say Winicius Wagner corn crops were the ones accounting for the increase of value of production in the year having reached 109.4 million tonnes and generating R$ 137.7 billion In spite of the drop of 10.5% in production in 2022 the value of oilseeds increased by 1.3% from 2021 the continuation of a level of high prices for the main agricultural commodities in the iinternational market added to an increase of 6.6% in value of production of cereals With a participation of 30.2% in the national production of grain with 21.1% of the value of agricultural production Mato Grosso was the Federation Unit with the highest value of agricultural production production in the state generated R$ 174.8 billion Mato Grosso increased its national participation to 21.1% The state accounts for more than 1/5 of the value of national agricultural production São Paulo recorded an increase of 24.6% in the value of production of sugarcane and of 16.4% in the value of production of orange products that have São Paulo as the number one in production resulting in value of production of R$ 103.0 billion Sorriso (MT) was the leader for the fourth consecutive time having reached R$ 11.5 billion in value of production and accounting for 1.4% of the national overall Sorriso also accounted for the main value of production of soybean (R$ 5.8 billion) and corn (R$ 4.2 billion) This municipality was also the number five producer of upland cotton (seed) Campo Novo do Parecis (MT) was in the second position cotton and corn amounted to R$ 7.8 billion Campo Novo do Parecis generated R$ 2.2 billion from the production of corn and was the number three in the production ranking of corn in the country had a value of production of R$ 8.0 billion with a retreat of 11.5% against the previous year The municipality stood out as for the production of upland cotton with the highest value resulting from corn production it was the number six national producer of soybean Severe drought in the South affects soybean production caused the average yield of soybean to drop by 14.3% from the previous harvest the soybean output fell by 10.5% from 2021 soybean was the number one among the cereals accounting for 60.8% of the value of production in this group “the attractive prices of this grain in the last few harvests once more added to the expansion of planting areas by producers there was an increase of 5.1% in planted area in the year with an increase of almost two million hectares.” With 38.0 million tonnes and an increase of 7.6% in the year with 15.2 million tonnes and an increase of 11.4% according to the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (SECEX) the product was the leader of exports in 2022 and had a participation of 13.9% of the total exports in Brazil this year Driven by the good performance of the second crop the national production of corn recovered in 2022 A total of 109.4 million tonnes were produced an increase of 24.0% (21.1 million tonnes) That is a reaction after the damage of the previous crop with the drought that happened in the Central-South of Brazil in the fall and winter months The attractive prices charged in the end of 2020 and the first semester of 2021 caused producers to expand planting areas which hit a record of 21.3 million hectares which accounted for 41.5% of the overall production of cereals Planted area in the first crop increased by 3.8% The second crop of corn increased by 10.6% in planted area and an increment of 18.9% in average yield That means a recovery from the result of 2021 The volume produced amounted to 84.4 million tonnes and increased the participation of corn to 77.2% of the total produced in Brazil the year of 2022 hit a record figure in the national export of corn There was an increase of 111.4% in volume of exported corn Iran was the main Destination of Brazilian corn having received 16.5% of the total shipped With an increase of 19.6% and almost entirely produced in the second crop Mato Grosso remained in the first position in the ranking of corn production which started the first quarter at an upward trend fell during the year and had a direct effect on the value of production of Mato Grosso which increased by 9.4% and reached R$ 42.1 billion with an increase of 47.8% in the volume produced having generated R$ 20.4 billion as for value of production The three municipalities with the biggest production in the country come from Mato Grosso: Sorriso (3.8 million tonnes) Nova Ubiratã (2.14 million tonnes) and Nova Mutum (1.95 million tonnes) Sugarcane regains productivity despite reduction in planted area the number three product in terms of Generation of value in 2022 Value of production stood at R$ 93.5 billion an increase of 24.2% from the previous year the appreciation of the real Against the dollar and the significant rise in petroleum prices “The reduction of areas for sugarcane plantations is a process that has been observed for some Years since they have generated better profits to producers,” says Mr The municipalities with the biggest outputs are Uberaba (MG) Barretos (SP) with 6.64 million tonnes and Quirinópolis (GO) With the moderate increase in the production of sugarcane and the global economic downturn sugar exports remained at the same level as in 2021 The Brazilian production of coffee increased by 6.3% The increase did not affect the behavior of coffee prices due to the good productivity of coffeea canephora besides the expansion of 2.2% in total harvested area Brazil remained as the main producer and world exporter of coffee the value of production increased by 48.8% Brazil exported 2.1 million tonnes of unroasted coffee (green) Minas Gerais accounted for 81.0% of these exports the United States were the main importers of Brazilian coffee As for the total volume of coffee produced in the country almost 2.1 million tonnes were of the Arabic type a volume that represented 66.0% of the total in 2022 showing its importance to national harvest The value of production amounted to R$ 39.5 billion the volume of coffea canephora increased by 7.3% São Miguel do Guaporé (RO) and Linhares (ES) are the main producers of coffee 44.0 thousand tonnes and 43.7 thousand tonnes After a drop in planted area and output in 2021 with an increase of 12.4% in the volume produced after the increase in the global demand for the product The sowing of summer crops in the ideal period for planting also helped increase the area planted with corn (2nd crop) “Despite the high resistance to water scarcity the productivity of corn can be affected by drought; therefore planting in the ideal period reduces risks to producers who decided to expand planting areas.” The value of production of corn increased by 25.2% and amounted to R$ 33.1 billion Brazil is one of the main world producers of fiber and the third main exporter in spite of the increase in domestic production there was a drop of 10.6% in the exported volume of raw cotton with a participation of 29.5% in our exports of the product Mato Grosso (R$ 23.5 billion in value of production and an increase of 12.4% in the year) and Bahia (R$ 7.3 billion and an annual increase of 79.4%) led the national production of cotton The three main cotton producers among the municipalities are Sapezal (MT) São Desidério (BA) and Campo Novo dos Parecis (MT) with outputs of 692.7 thousand tonnes Rice is affected by water scarcity and production drops by 7.6% The production of rice dropped once again in 2022 “The scarcity of rain in Rio Grande do Sul since the majority depends on irrigation,” Mr Planted area decreased by 2.0% in planted are of 3.8% in average yield and a decrease of 7.6% in output The decrease of value of production was even higher: 18.9% against 2021 Being responsible for 71.2% of the national output in Rio Grande do Sul the production of rice is highly technical the harsh weather caused productivity to drop by 6.1% from the previous year Nine out of ten municipalities accounting for the biggest producers of rice are Rio Grande do Sul The three Leaders are Uruguaiana (683.4 thousand tonnes) Santa Vitória do Palmar (589.2 thousand tonnes) and Itaqui (453.8 thousand tonnes) Wheat has record harvest of 10.3 million tonnes The area planted with wheat increased by 14.1% and led to a record harvest of 10.3 million tonnes The value of production of wheat reached R$ 15.7 billion Rio Grande do Sul is still the main producer of wheat having accounted for 51.2% of the national total The Leading municipalities in terms of wheat production are Tibagi (PR) with 138.5 thousand tonnes; Cruz Alta (RS) with 128.7 thousand tonnes and Santa Bárbara do Sul (RS) © 2018 IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística Nós utilizamos cookies para 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Para saber mais sobre como tratamos os dados pessoais, consulte nossa Política de Privacidade. the "Cerrado" may be the most important place most people have never heard of a vast tropical savanna experts say is crucial to the planet's health but quickly disappearing Less famous than the Amazon rainforest above it the Cerrado is one of Earth's three great savannas Spanning two million square kilometers (770,000 square miles) with its western edges extending into Bolivia and Paraguay the Cerrado is the world's most biodiverse savanna home to more than 11,000 plant species and hundreds of animal species Nicknamed the "cradle of waters," it feeds eight of South America's major river systems and three key aquifers Scientists say the Cerrado and Amazon are intricately linked The savanna depends on the rainforest to generate the precipitation that fills its rivers and aquifers The rainforest in turn depends on the savanna to feed the waterways that crisscross its southern half Both play a crucial role in containing climate change by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere both could accelerate global warming if they are pushed past a "tipping point," when their vegetation would die off and release its carbon stores the Cerrado has become an agricultural heartland propelling Brazil past the United States to become the world's top exporter of soybeans and Half the Cerrado has now been converted to farmland a major growth driver for Latin America's biggest economy According to calculations by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) converting savanna to farmland in the Cerrado generates 230 million metric tons of carbon a year equivalent to the annual emissions of 50 million cars In a region conservationists say is being dried out by deforestation satellite monitoring by Brazilian space agency INPE has recorded nearly 40,000 fire outbreaks this year They have burned an area nearly the size of Switzerland Studies have also found the Cerrado's water supplies are contaminated by pesticides and weedkillers The outlook for Brazil is anything but helpful The drought there has already dried up an estimated 200,000 metric tons of supply With the nation’s 2021-2022 harvest close to complete production is now seen at 2.6 million tons -- or less