Even with the decrease in grain prices and the possible negative impact on the demand for biofuels in the medium term, 2014 is likely to be positive for agribusiness in Brazil. That's what the professor of São Paulo School of Economics (EESP) and coordinator of GVAgro, Roberto Rodrigues, stated in an interview to the newspaper Valor Econômico.

According to Rodrigues - who was Minister of Agriculture from 2003 to 2006 - prices should remain above the historical average despite the recent decline in prices. Global reserves of the main commodities are still lower than historical reserves, which creates an income cushion, he explained. Besides, the expert says that occasional losses in the value of commodities can be offset by exchange rate appreciation.

Rodrigues also warns about the fact that the scenario is more favorable for the country's soybean producers than for corn producers, who may face a decline in exports due to competition with the grain produced in the United States.

But when asked about the results of shale gas exploitation to the input market for biofuels, Roberto Rodrigues is categorical. Shale is a fossil and it will end one day.