Biological inputs and Integrated Production are matters in the Rice Sector Chamber

On the 25th, the 64th Ordinary Meeting of the Rice Sector Chamber was held, via video conference, with the participation of researchers from Embrapa Arroz e Feijão (Goiânia/GO) and Embrapa Clima Temperado (Pelotas/RS). Researchers José Manoel Colombari Filho and Maria Laura Turino Mattos were representatives of the Research Units.

The program consisted of a presentation by the President of the Chamber of the agenda for the day of the Ordinary Meeting, followed by information from the Presidency and the Chamber Secretariat, an approach to the Rice Sector Situation, by Sérgio Roberto dos Santos Junior, from the National Supply Company (Conab). 

The Brazilian Rice Industries Association (Abiarroz) presented the proposal to draw up a private protocol for the rice production chain. Afterwards, a presentation was made by Embrapa researchers. José Manoel Colombari Filho presented the theme of Opportunities for Brazilian rice with the new Embrapa Genetics, while Maria Laura Turino Mattos developed the theme of Assessment of biological inputs for rice farming in RS and also the Visibility of rice produced for the internal and external market regarding sustainability and food safety. The last theme of the meeting brought the experience of how the cotton chain became the second largest exporter in the world, presented by Márcio Portocarrero from the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (ABRAPA).

Unity Themes at the Meeting

Embrapa Climate Temperado brought its contribution through researcher Maria Laura Turino Mattos by carrying out two approaches. The first on the Assessment of biological inputs for rice farming in RS, by presenting new inputs to rural producers, as alternatives for using biological products (inoculants).

Among these possibilities, she presented the experience with the microorganism Azospirillum brasilense. This product has shown productivity gains and contributed to reducing the release of greenhouse gases into the environment, in addition to, of course, fattening the producer's pocket. She commented that biological fertilizers are most commonly used in soybean crops, but experiments have demonstrated positive gains in rice areas by increasing their productivity by around 20%, and reaching an average of 12 thousand kilos/hectare when using Embrapa irrigated rice cultivars. She also highlighted the efficiency of technologies launched by Embrapa for rice cultivation, such as phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and future technologies with new microorganisms for rice.

The second topic she addressed was the Visibility of rice produced for the domestic and foreign markets in terms of sustainability and food safety. The researcher highlighted the importance of Integrated Production (IP) standards for the rice farming segment, and also for other agricultural crops.

According to Mattos, by adopting the requirements of PI Rice, the country will give visibility to the world on how it can be produced sustainably, and at the same time, serve the domestic market by presenting a quality grain. Its focus was also to show that a producer focused on exporting rice, if it meets the criteria requirements described by PI, will not need to comply with international protocols, since Brazil has a unique protocol, which meets certification, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) and with third-party certification, that is, certifiers accredited by INMETRO to attribute the 'Brazil Certified' seal to the grain load. “The rice industry already meets 98% of the requirements described in PI Arroz, what is missing is just one more step in meeting the proposed criteria and working by sectors to qualify teams. We understand that it is necessary to train a broad group of professionals at PI Arroz to act as technical managers, which goes beyond agronomists, including agricultural engineers, chemical engineers, food engineers, production engineers, as well as for the “marketing” of the PI Arroz the agricultural attachés, business intermediaries, among others”, he said.