SAO PAULO (April 08 2003) : Brazil's crop forecast agency said it wouldlikely raise its 2002-03 soyabean crop estimate to about 50.5 milliontonnes as harvest data shows better-than-expected yields.

The forecast agency Conab, which is part of the Agriculture Ministry, lastforecast the soya crop at 49.65 million tonnes on February 27. The newestimate is expected on May 8.

"Everything indicates that the number for soya from Conab will be raisedto around 50.5 million tonnes," Eledon Pereira de Oliveira, a technicianat the agency's crop evaluation department, told Reuters.

Output in Brazil, the second-biggest soyabean producer after the UnitedStates, hit 41.91 million tonnes in 2001/02.

Oliveira said harvest data coming in from the ongoing harvest across thesoya belt have been registering higher-than-expected per hectare yields.

Conab last forecast yields at 2,765 kg/ha, up 8 percent from last season's2,567 kg/ha.

"Brazil has already harvested almost 50 percent of the oilseed production,or about 25 million tonnes," said Oliveira.

"We expect that by the end of April 90 percent of the soya area will havebeen reaped."

Technicians from Conab will enter the field between April 21 and 26 tocollect new data for the Agriculture's fourth of six annual grainforecasts.

Market estimates of the new soya crop are already aiming for over 50million tonnes.

The US Department of Agriculture last put Brazil's new crop at 51 milliontonnes.-Reuters