Brazil 2 Argentina 0 (At Half Time)

Going back ten years to 1999/2000 Brazil produced 83 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds, compared to the 65 million tonnes produced by Argentina, giving us a Brazil:Argentina crop ratio of under 1.3:1.

By 2006/07 this had increased to 1.4:1, and in the coming season it looks set to reach more than 1.9:1 if current forecasts hold (Brazil with 135 million tonnes vs Argentina's 70 million tonnes).

Meanwhile Brazil's share of global grain & oilseed production has increased to around 5.5% this year. And all that has been done despite Brazil being slower to embrace GM crops than it's neighbour.

Argentine farmers point out that the development of Brazilian agriculture is not so soy-dependent to the extreme reached in Argentina, on the contrary Brazil has also promoted dairy and beef farming.

In the nineties Brazil had 2% of world beef exports, that has now jumped to 12.3%, while Argentina remains static at 2%.

And whilst Brazil has set itself the ambitious target of producing 300 million tonnes of grains & oilseeds ten years from now, Argentina's disgruntled farmers remain embroiled in the ongoing conflict with the Kirchner administration over export taxes.