Prices paid to agricultural producers ended 2023 with a significant drop of 16% and have already started 2024 at a sharp decline. According to calculations by Cepea (Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics), Esalq/USP, the IPPA/Cepea (Producer Price Index for Agricultural Product Groups) accumulated a nominal decline of 15.4% from January to March 2024 in relation to the same period of the previous year. In the same comparison, international food prices (FAO Index) fell 4.5%; industrial products (IPA-OG-DI industrial products), 13.2%; and the exchange rate (R$/US$), 3.3%. Rural worker dies after jaguar attack
Seal will recognize the excellence of rural unions in Paraná According to Cepea researchers, the retraction of IPPA/Cepea at the beginning of this year is linked to the drops observed for IPPA-Grains/Cepeaa significant 25.4%, and for the IPPA-Pecuária/Cepea, 11.7%. The drop in IPPA/Cepea was not more intense because the IPPA-Horticultural/Cepea showed a significant nominal increase in the first quarter, of almost 45%. Already the IPPA-Cana-Café/Cepea remained stable in the first months of 2024. In the case of IPPA-Grains/Cepea, the retraction is due to the strong falls observed for practically all products considered in the Index – the exception was rice. For cotton, the devaluation in the first quarter was 20.1%; for corn, 25.6%; for soybeans, almost 29%; and for wheat, 25%. For the IPPA-Pecuária/Cepea, the scenario is the same, with retractions recorded for almost all products that make up the Index: beef (-16%), pork (-10.8%), milk (-19.1%) and eggs (-2 .4%) – in this case, the exception was live chicken. As for the strong advance of the IPPA-Horticultural/Cepea, the result is due to the increases observed for all products that are considered in the Index: potatoes (+67.6%), tomatoes (+30.5%), bananas (+35.0%), oranges (+61. 3%) and grape (+44.7%). It is noteworthy that potatoes have been traded at high levels in this 2023/24 water harvest – in January, the trading average was the third highest of the entire Cepea series, which began in 2001, in real terms. The boost to tuber prices came mainly from lower supply – the main producing regions faced adverse weather conditions, especially due to the El Niño phenomenon. As for oranges, the fruit was traded at record real prices throughout the first quarter of 2024 – in this case, the Cepea series begins in 1994. According to Cepea researchers, the strong appreciation of the fruit is mainly linked to the scarcity of supply in this off-season, while other varieties (late and early) also have controlled volumes. Furthermore, the juice industry’s demand for the fruit is strong, given that stocks of the commodity are low. (With Cepea)
