According to IBGE's Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA), based on field information obtained from the producers themselves, the cashew nut harvest in Piauí in 2024 is expected to grow by around 40%, jumping from 20.9 thousand tons produced in 2023 to around 29.4 thousand tons in 2024.
In terms of cashew production, Pedro Andrade, Head of the Agricultural Research Section at IBGE in Piauí, notes that this anticipated increase will be consolidated in the second half of the year, provided favorable weather conditions persist, and there are no occurrences of pests. If the expected cashew nut production of 29.4 thousand tons is confirmed, this would mark the second-largest production in the product's historical series since 2011, when a production of 45.7 thousand tons was reached.
A noteworthy development is the reduction in the planted area for cashew production. In 2011, Piauí had approximately 171 thousand hectares planted with cashew, whereas in 2024, producers report a planted area of no more than 76 thousand hectares. Pedro Andrade attributes this decline to the aging of orchards without proper replacement of seedlings.
Shifting focus to other permanent crops in Piauí, banana production stands out. The production forecast for 2024 indicates a harvest of 49.9 thousand tons, reflecting a reduction of around 5 thousand tons (-10.17%) compared to the previous year. Pedro Andrade explains that this decline is a result of producers in irrigated perimeters abandoning cultivation, sometimes resorting to complete eradication of their planting.
Turning attention to long-term temporary crops in Piauí, cassava destined for industrialization is notable. The production expectation for 2024 is around 534.8 thousand tons, signaling an increase of around 45 thousand tons (+9.24%) compared to the previous year.
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