Drought advances in Santa Catarina and reduces agricultural production

The Favaretto family, from the interior of Coronel Freitas, invested R$20 in planting corn for silage that would be used to feed 50 dairy cows. Planting was done at the end of July, but 10 hectares :  sown received only 35 mm of rain in four months, less than half expected for the period – between 80mm and 90mm. Water scarcity did not develop corn cobs and producers already estimate losses of 90% of silage volume and, consequently, a reduction in milk production.

“We will harvest next week and we calculate a silage with only 10% grain, the remainder straw. This will harm milk production, since grain is the cows' main food”, details agronomist Ana Lilian, who manages the property alongside her parents Lucides and Ana Fátima Favaretto. The family also needed to invest in the purchase of hay and feed to compensate for the lack of food for the animals and is waiting for regular rain to plant corn again, rotate crops and wait for the cultivated oat, millet and sorghum pastures to germinate.

In addition to milk, they also produce poultry and pork. To supply the 13.800 chickens in the poultry farm, the family built an artesian well and maintains another in partnership with two neighbors to maintain the farm of 7 thousand pigs. “So far we haven’t had any problems supplying the poultry farm, but we have already invested around R$10 in hiring water trucks to bring water to the farm, because the well can no longer handle the supply”, reports Ana Lilian.

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The losses reported by Coronel Freitas' family portray the moment experienced by the majority of producers in Santa Catarina, especially in the West, Far West and Mid-West regions, where the water deficit in the year reaches 801,9mm, 711mm and 895,9mm, respectively, according to with data from Epagri/Ciram. The drought in the State, which began in June 2019, is already the most severe since 2005.

“The situation is worrying, because forecasts indicate below-average rainfall until January, which will drastically impact the harvest. Without rain, both the Government and producers are looking for palliative solutions to alleviate the problem”, observes the president of the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of Santa Catarina (FAESC) José Zeferino Pedrozo.

The director states that one of the requests made by producers is greater agility in environmental licenses for the construction of artesian wells. Bureaucracy and waiting times are not keeping up with the urgency of the water shortage situation in the State. “We need less bureaucracy and more agility in processes”, emphasizes Pedrozo.

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According to a survey carried out by the Center for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning (Epagri/Cepa), the Far West is the region in Santa Catarina whose crops are in the most delicate situation. Next appear Oeste and Meio Oeste. Corn (silage and grain), tobacco and pastures are the crops most affected so far.

O corn silage accumulates an average loss of -6,75% in state production, resulting in an expected production of 8,8 million tons. In the Far West region the average loss is -13,76%, while in the West it is -7,24% and in the North Plateau it reaches -10,03%. Some municipalities in these regions are already recording production losses of more than 60%.

For corn grain of the first harvest, to date, the average loss expected for the State is -4,12%. The biggest impact is in the Far West, where the average drop in production is -19,07%. In the West the loss is -9,2%. In this scenario, the expected production is 2,8 million tons.

O smoke So far, it faces an average reduction of -1,92% in the State, with production estimated at 209,7 thousand tons. Tobacco farmers in the Far West already accumulate losses of -14,16%, in the West the losses are 7,94% and in the Midwest they reach 6,05%.

Until the beginning of November, several regions recorded negative impacts of the drought on the quality and quantity of pastures available for animal production, which affects weight gain and milk production, as well as water availability for animals. The most affected regions are also the Far West, West and Mid-West, which account for 80% of dairy production in Santa Catarina.

“Producers are evaluating losses and seeing if there are possibilities for replanting. However, it all depends on whether we have enough rain for this. The situation is serious for the sector, which at the moment is also suffering from the increase in the cost of inputs”, warns the president of FAESC.