Barley reaches 80% of the harvested area at Capal units

Favorable weather conditions have contributed to the barley harvest in the areas covered by the Capal cooperative in the states of Paraná and São Paulo. The first grains began to be harvested at the beginning of September and, by last Wednesday (27), 80% of the area had already been harvested. The number should increase to 90% by mid-October.

Barley planting began in April, one of the first winter crops. In this year's harvest, the planted area was 11,3 thousand hectares, which represents double compared to the 2022 winter harvest. The expectation is to grow in area each year, thus seeking to meet the demand for the Maltaria project Campos Gerais.

Grain production is concentrated in the South region, with Paraná being the largest producer of barley, with around 60% of national production, according to data from the Department of Rural Economy (Deral). In addition to Paraná, production gained strength in Capal's areas in São Paulo.

Capal's Regional Agricultural Technical Assistance (DAT) Coordinator, Roberto Martins, highlights this year's improvements compared to last year's harvest. “We have parameters to be compared. The planted area, for example, was much larger than the previous one and we will maintain productivity for the better. We had even greater support from producers who brought barley this year. São Paulo had a significant increase, a very promising area for barley cultivation”, he points out.

Capal's Commercial Director, Eliel Magalhães, comments on the producers' choice to start planting with barley and then with wheat. “Producers chose barley as the starting point for planting and this helped a lot even in terms of operational issues. This is also crucial for our Maltaria project”, he explains.

But, despite the assertive decisions, Eliel highlights that caution is needed on the part of producers. “What we have noticed is that in the first areas harvested from barley we already had an interesting production. Some producers who planted for the first time are excited about the productivity, but it is important to be very ‘down to earth’ at this time”, says the director.

According to him, some associated producers started the barley project with the cooperative more than six years ago and have experimented in the long term with all barley variables, as well as different climatic conditions such as frost, drought and rain at harvest.

“And this year, for those who are harvesting for the first time, they are having good results, but you need to be very careful, as barley is not coming to compete with wheat, it is coming as a winter crop rotation. Some producers just want to plant barley in the next harvest and no longer want to plant wheat, given the problem we are experiencing now in the marketing of wheat. But this is not a reference to what could happen in the next harvest”, he highlights.

Eliel points out that between now and the next harvest, many issues may change and that following the technical positioning is always essential when defining which crop will be implemented.

“Even if producers are happy to have a year without major weather problems, it is necessary to mature in terms of cultivation. We have a commitment to Maltaria and our proposal is to fulfill it. We believe in growth for next year, remembering that we are very close to our goal”, adds Eliel.