Cotton health void mobilizes Bahian farmers

Since September 20th, the beginning of the period of sanitary emptiness has been declared in cotton plantations in western Bahia. This is a time when the remains of living plants in recently harvested areas must be eliminated and thus prevent them from multiplying and promoting the proliferation of pests and diseases such as the cotton boll weevil, the cotton grower's main enemy.

The sanitary void extends until November 20th in the West region, while in the Southwest the calendar started on September 1st and runs until October 30th. Pest control in cotton crops in Bahia is supported by the Phytosanitary Program of the Bahian Association of Cotton Producers (Abapa), a reference in the agricultural area throughout Brazil.

This season, in the final stretch of harvest, the "No to Bicudo" campaign guaranteed an average productivity of 300 arrobas/hectare in an area of ​​313.556 thousand hectares. These results represent the maintenance of historical production of around 1,5 million tons of cotton (seed and fiber). Reducing boll weevil rates also depends on the collaboration of farmers, completing the sanitary void period and leaving everything ready for planting the next harvest.

"The boll weevil is a collective control pest, the Phytosanitary Program does its part, but it is up to farmers to do their homework", assesses the president of Abapa, Júlio Cézar Busato. He credits the high grain and cotton productivity achieved in western Bahia to the commitment of both the associations and the producers themselves. "This work began many years ago, coordinated by Aiba (Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia) and Abapa and reinforces in producers the importance of combating pests. Awareness in following the sanitary void recommendations results in productivity and economic gains from the entire region", he says.

Western Bahia accounts for 5% of the entire volume of grains and fiber produced in Brazil. It is responsible for the highest national productivity in soybeans and corn and has the highest non-irrigated cotton yield in the world. According to Busato, combating pests and diseases is decisive so that farmers can produce more and more, in smaller areas and conserving natural resources. "We have new tools, advanced technology and the results show that the union through associations strengthens the idea that it is possible to produce in a sustainable and conscious way", he concludes.