1,2 million dwarf cashew seedlings will be distributed to producers in Ceará and Piauí in 2022

Farmers from Ceará and Piauí will benefit from 1,2 million dwarf cashew trees (800 thousand seedlings for Piauí and 450 thousand seedlings for Ceará). The initiative seeks to encourage the development of the production chain in the two States through the adoption of technology developed by Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical (Fortaleza-CE).

In Ceará, the action is coordinated and executed by the Secretariat for Agricultural Development (SDA) with the support of the Ceará Rural Extension Technical Assistance Company (Ematerce). The Hora de Plantar project has existed since 1987 with the aim of distributing seeds of subsistence crops, such as rice, corn and beans, for example. In 2007, aiming to increase not only cashew production, but also the income of farmers in the State, cashew farming became part of the project. Initially, one million dwarf cashew tree seedlings of clones CCP 76 and CCP 09 were distributed. 

The service began with demands for seedlings from priority zoned municipalities, called Cajuculture Hubs, involving the entire coast of Ceará and adjacent areas. In 2007, the cashew tree area in the state was approximately 400 thousand hectares, of which only 38 thousand hectares were dwarf cashew trees. It was estimated that 40% of the land where common cashew trees were planted were unproductive and had a low plant population.

In this scenario, the Cearense Cajuculture Expansion and Recovery Project emerged, with the function of expanding the distribution of seedlings and recovering, through canopy replacement, unproductive orchards. According to José de Sousa Paz, coordinator of the Hora de Plantar project, the seedlings distributed are purchased, through the notice, from nurseries registered with the Ministry of Agriculture. 

“All beneficiaries receive the seedlings in their municipalities and pay the same contract value in the fourth year after planting. The current value is R$3,10. The priority audience are family farming producers. We are serving non-family producers through the Agriculture Federation of the State of Ceará (FAEC)”, explained the coordinator.

To date, more than 30 municipalities have received the plants, totaling six million cashew seedlings from clones CCP 76, Embrapa 51, BRS 189 and BRS 265. The plants come from the municipalities of Barroquinha and Paracuru and cultivated by nurseries from Pacajus, Beberibe, Fortim and Cascavel.

Maria Lucilânia Bezerra Almeida, agricultural technician in the municipality of Potiretama (CE), highlights the importance of the initiative: "This is a very important action for the producer, given that the orchards are in the implementation phase due to the death of cashew trees common. It's an incentive. And there's also the issue of payment only being made after four years".

Anderson Chaves Mourão, a farmer from Tabuleiro do Norte (CE), received 1.150 seedlings from the CCP 76, Embrapa 51 and BRS 226 clones from the project. "It is a very important initiative, because not all producers would have enough capital to acquire the seedlings. The way the government works is good for the producer, as we will only pay in three years. I'm satisfied. Now I'm waiting for the rains to be able to plant", he explains.

Project foresees development of the chain in Piauí 

The Department of Agriculture of the State of Piauí also carries out a similar action. The material distributed for planting the crop aims to develop the local production chain. Among the clones distributed, Embrapa CCP 76 stands out. Initially, the seedling distribution program was carried out through the Fruit Growing Cooperative of the Picos region (Cofrup). Because it was produced in a cooperative, the seedlings had a lower cost.

With the reactivation of the Piauí Association of Seed and Seedling Producers (APSEM), the entity began producing cashew seedlings for the program. The association has the support of producers from a large part of the state of Piauí. The seedlings are destined for settlements, associations, cooperatives and NGOs, according to Leontino do Nascimento, commercial director of the association. More than 100 cities will benefit from the cashew seedlings, including the Picos and Valenciana regions, traditional cashew production areas.

“The large cashew producing regions receive the seedlings. As a result, there was growth in the Picos region, where we have an industrial park with processing for juice, nuts and cashew nuts, which is considered a heritage of the State of Piauí. This is due to the genetic improvement of the CCP 76 cashew, which gives the cashew an appropriate flavor,” explained Leontino.

According to the commercial director, cashew farming in Piauí is mostly made up of small producers. With the support of the program, the local production chain is strengthened. Each farmer will receive 200 CCP 76 cashew seedlings for planting. “This action is gratifying, as the family farmer plants, cares for and sells the peduncle and nuts for the industry to enjoy”, he states. 

Furthermore, Leontino do Nascimento pointed out some aspects to be improved in the cashew industry. In the states of Paraná, São Paulo and Brasília, which usually purchase the fruit processed, there is no habit of using the fruit stalk. Because of this, table cashews have a high value due to little consumption.

“Cashew farming is still not exploited as it should be. It lacks improvements in relation to technical assistance and innovation. I believe we need to focus on using the table stalk. There is a shortage of cashew in several capitals. The fruit is commonly found in the Northeast region, but not abroad. For example, we have Paraná, São Paulo and Brasília. Because the quantity is small, the price is exorbitant,” he commented. “We have to get people to eat cashews”, he adds, with a smile of hope considering the new scenario. 

Reinaldo Ferreira, a producer in the municipality of Santo Antônio de Lisboa (PI) and one of the farmers benefiting from the program, comments that the project is important for family producers who make a living from cashew farming. "We managed to replant orchards decimated by drought and pests and diseases that have affected cashew farming in recent years. The seedlings of the CCP 76 clones and the BRS 226 clone are genetically improved and adapted to our region”, he commented.

Cloned seedlings are essential for cashew farming

For Genésio Vasconcelos, head of Technology Transfer at Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, the use of cloned seedlings is essential for cashew farming to reach its production potential, as they guarantee that the orchard will present the same characteristics of vigor and robustness that are desired with the clones.

Currently, Embrapa has 12 commercial clones aimed at meeting different production demands, nut and peduncle characteristics, consumption and processing, in addition to adapting to varied soil, climate and relief conditions.

Genésio Vasconcelos also highlights that the practices of planting or replanting new orchards using seeds should be avoided, even if they are cloned cashew tree seeds. “Planting by seeds does not provide a guarantee that the new plant will have the same characteristics as the original plant. This causes the loss of the main qualities of the material, which puts the performance of the orchard at risk, causing losses to the rural producer. It is a practice that must be eliminated,” he explains. Therefore, it is essential that only seedlings from cloned and registered materials be used.

Service 

For those who wish to learn more about how to produce cloned dwarf cashew seedlings through grafting, Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical has a free online course aimed at training rural producers, extension workers, students, teachers, technicians and other interested parties on the topic.

“Our expectation with this course is to train as many people as possible in the necessary techniques for producing cloned seedlings through grafting, so that we can have orchards with an excellent genetic base, enabling high productivity and fruit standards for consumption and processing”, he states. the head of TT at Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical.

Interested parties can obtain more information and register for the course via the following link

To learn more about the clones developed by Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, visit our folder