Brazil: Over the past two decades, the area planted with corn in Brazil has grown from 12.8 million to 22.3 million hectares. This 74.6 per cent increase, according to data from the National Supply Company (Conab), reflects advances in genetic improvement and the use of new technologies, which have increased productivity and attracted producers due to the grain’s high potential for financial returns.
According to the National Energy Balance 2024, one of the main drivers of this growth is the biofuels sector, in which corn already represents 16 per cent of national production. For Robson Vasconcellos, Product Development Consultant / Corn Crop Specialist at TMG – Tropical Melhoramento & Genética, a Brazilian company offering genetic solutions for cotton, soybeans and corn, this movement has contributed to the stabilization of grain prices. “Corn ethanol, as well as farms and other sectors, has brought the price stability that farmers have been seeking for a long time, creating a more attractive and diversified environment for their income,” he says.