GROWTH
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 17% in real terms from 1994 through 1998, which is equivalent to an annual average growth rate of 3.3%. In contrast, the average growth of the GDP was just 0.3% in the four years that preceded the Real Plan.
1998 was the sixth consecutive year of GDP growth, a trend which had not been occurring since the end of the 1970s.
From 1990 to 1993 the negative growth of the GDP was the result of two years of positive growth rates (1991 and 1993) and two other years of recession (1990 and 1992), reflecting a "seesaw" pattern, which had been the rule during the 1980s and early 1990s.
From 1994 to 1998, real per capita GDP grew at an average rate of 1.9% per year, reaching R$ 5,570.00 per inhabitant.
During the Real Plan, Brazilian grain production has advanced from 75.2 million tons in 1994 to 81.4 million tons in 1999, primarily reflecting the agricultural policies adopted by the Government.
In agriculture, technology has advanced rapidly. One indicator of this trend is the consumption of fertilizers, which increased from 11.9 million tons in 1994 to 14.7 million tons in 1998. This represents an increase of more than 5% per year in the use of this agricultural input.
After a fall in 1995, sales of agricultural machinery also began to increase, indicating that rural investments are growing.