SAO PAULO (April 11 2003) : Brazil will likely surpass the United Statesas the No 1 producer of soyabeans before the end of this decade underpresent market conditions, soya analysts said on Wednesday.

Speaking at Brazil's 2003-04 Agribusiness Perspectives seminar in SaoPaulo, chief soya analyst at consultants Celeres/MPrado, Anderson Gomes,said Brazil producing over 77 million tonnes in 2008-09 would overtake USsoya output.

"If US soya area falls to pre-1996 levels over the next five years, as weexpect, Brazilian farms will continue to expand production at a rate thatwill soon create a new world leader in soyabeans," said Gomes.

Celeres/MPrado forecast next year's 2003-04 soya crop to reach 55.6million tonnes compared with estimated current estimated crop of 50.9million tonnes.

"As output here grows, the Chicago Board of Trade will begin transformingits behaviour to following two harvest patterns per year, the Americanharvest in August-September and Brazil's in March-April," said Gomes.

Analyst Fernando Muraro of Agencia Rural consultants said soyabean farmingwas so attractive in Brazil right now that it was jeopardising thecountry's corn production, which feed its livestock, as farmers turned tothe more profitable export crop of soya.