Ag Facts

In recent years, Brazil’s production of soybeans and soybean products have risen sharply as most areas of Brazil have seen rapid increases in area planted to soybeans and rising yields. Relatively high profits for soybean producers are expected to lead to an average increase in planted area of about 2% per year over the next decade, with increasing soybean plantings in the Cerrado region and expansion extending into the Legal Amazon region of Brazil. Brazil’s soybeans and soybean product exports have also increased significantly and are projected to continue doing so during the next 10 years, making the country the world’s leading exporter of soybeans and soybean products, ahead of the United States and Argentina. In 2011, Brazil accounted for slightly more than 32% of world trade in soybeans and soybean products, as income and population growth in China, other Southeast Asia, Latin America, North Africa and Middle Eastern countries contributed to rising demand for soybean and soybean product imports.

This chart is an update of one found in the Brazil topic on the ERS website.