Os preços de bovinos no Pantanal Mato-Grossense.

The Pantanal of Mato Grosso is a plain of c. 139.000 km2, on the Brazilian central plateau, situated between 16o and 22o of latitude South and 55o and 58o longitude West, where one of the largest breeding center of beef cattle is developed. Animal husbandry is explored with minimal technical inputs within a climate of alternating water excess or sthortage. The base of feeding are typical alluvial native pastures. The main market product is the lean steer above three years, weighing 260 to 300 kg. An increasing global trend around Cr$74,24 head (cruzeiros of 1977) was estimated through the analysis of deflationed 1950/81 prices. The trajectory of the trend allows to estimate cattle industry cyclesof c. eight years, noting that the price fluctuations follow the same price variations of the steer in Sao Paulo "pari passu", though with variable phase shifts, according to the phase of the cycle. The Seasonal variations of prices show indexes below the mean between february and august; the highest price index in found in november.