Análise da produção agropecuária no estado do Maranhão entre os anos de 1974 a 2017

Abstract

The State of Maranhão by territorial extension, edafoclimatic characteristics and privileged geographical position, has all the natural conditions to stand out the agricultural sector, so much so that historically the economy of the State was sustained by several agricultural cycles: cotton, babaçu, rice and, more recently, soybeans and livestock. The work aimed to characterize the agricultural landscape of the State of Maranhão between 1974 and 2017, identifying the advances or setbacks that occurred in the sector. The research used the quantitative and qualitative methods and secondary data of the 217 municipalities of the state, collected in the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) through the publications Municipal Agricultural Production (WFP), Municipal Livestock Survey (PPM) and Agropecuary Censuses. The data analysed showed the growth of cotton, maize and soybean production, the stability of sugarcane and the reduction of rice, beans and cassava crops. The reduction of food crops can be explained by the lack of public policies for the sector over the decades and, consequently, lack of use of technologies, adequate handling techniques and technical assistance. It has been observed that the production of grains is concentrated, mainly, in the southern and western Maranhense mesoregions, as well as, the soybean domain in the production of the State, which made it possible to observe technological advances, but intended for the production of export/industrial crops (soybeans, maize, sugarcane and cotton. Livestock data have shown that since 1974 the herd of chickens, followed by cattle and an abrupt fall in the number of pig heads, has been highlighted, while throughout the series, the herds of bubaline, goats, sheep and quail have been low and constant. The increase in livestock production in the Mesoregions West, South and Central Maranhense can also be observed, as well as the detriment of production in the Mesoregions North and East Maranhense. It is also noticed that this relocation of livestock production accompanies the advancement of agricultural production in some regions, as well as reflects the government incentives given to some production chains. The delay in maranhense livestock farming is the result of the lack of investment in technology, lack of technical assistance, lack of credit support and, consequently, lack of competitiveness with products of large brands arriving in the State at lower prices than those produced here. In relation to GDP, the largest contribution comes from the service sector and industry, the agricultural sector contributes with only 9.5% to the total GDP, with soybeans the biggest highlight of the sector