New generation of machines becomes the harvest more efficient
Valor Econômico
Larger, more economical and with the lowest rate of losses. This is the profile of the machines that have entered the market and are already harvesting what may be the largest grain crop ever produced in the country. The new wave of high prices of agricultural commodities triggered in mid-2010 from the bad weather in the Northern Hemisphere encouraged farmers to buy or exchange their harvesters, which increased sales by 19% last year.
According to the National Association of Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea), 4,543 units were sold, compared to 3,817 in the previous year. It is true that sales of 2009 were affected by the effects of global financial crisis, but even in relation to the sales of 2008, when commodities such as soybeans, corn and wheat broke historical highs, there was an increase of 2%. "In the first half of 2010 things were normal, but with the prices skyrocket and the advances in grain crops [from September], even delayed, the demand for harvesters increased", says Cesar di Luca, commercial director of Case IH, which closed 2010 with share of 14% in the segment. It is not a coincidence that December concentrated 14% of the sales of harvesters last year, the largest share in a single month.
In his latest report, Conab estimated that 48 million hectares of grain were cultivated 2010/11, when the harvest is expected to reach 149.4 million tons. Private consulting already point to a harvest close to 155 million of tons. in view of the sales, the size of the new harvesters, which already have air conditioning, GPS, radio and - in some cases - even autopilot, has also increased. The automakers estimated that the average size of the decks (the front part) of the machines is in 25 feet (1 foot equals 0.3048 meters). For the companies, the average should increase more, because of the increasing trend of equipment adapted to "Cerrado" (tropical savanna ecoregion), where the models already range from 30 to 40 feet, being the latter the largest available.
The evolution of the size of the machinery used in harvests passes necessarily through the increase of productivity. Moreover, the climatic effects are leaving the crop planting windows every time smaller, what increases the need for larger machines to harvest larger areas in less time. The companies, which come into consensus on this issue, estimate that 70% of the losses that occur in crops occur in the cutting and collecting of the grain. "The trend of larger machines is a reality and is gaining strength as the weight of the second crop of grain in the country increases", said Paul Herrmann, director of sales for Latin America of John Deere, leader of the Brazilian harvesters in 2010, with participation of 35%.