Rio Grande do Sul municipalities stand out nationally in rice production

In 2023, Brazilian agricultural production reached a total value of R$814,5 billion, with the 100 most productive municipalities contributing 31,9% of this amount, totaling R$260 billion, according to data from the IBGE's annual survey on Municipal Agricultural Production (PAM), released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa). Among the 100 municipalities, three are from Rio Grande do Sul: Dom Pedrito in 78th place, Santa Vitória do Palmar in 86th place and Vacaria in 100th.

"Rio Grande do Sul has always played an important role as a food producer for Brazil and the world, which is reinforced by research. In rice, we are responsible for almost 70% of national production, but we also stand out in soybeans, corn and wheat. The quality of our crops, aligned with the capacity of our producers, make us a state with abundance and prosperity in the area of ​​agriculture, with much more room for growth", says the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation (Seapi), Clair Kuhn.

Rice production

Santa Vitória do Palmar is ranked first among the 100 richest cities in rice production and planted area, accounting for 5,6% of national production. According to data from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of Santa Vitória do Palmar, the area planted with rice this year is 60.171,50 hectares, with an average productivity of 190 bags per hectare. The area planted with soybeans is 51.989 hectares, with an estimated 50 bags per hectare. In terms of livestock, beef cattle correspond to 17.500 head and an estimated production of 2.800 tons per year, and milk cattle are around 1000 head, with a production of 20.260 liters/month. In addition, the municipality also produces corn and around 250 families make a living from fishing.

“Producers are very careful, they analyze and correct the soil before planting and use cutting-edge technologies in planting. Furthermore, in the case of rice crops, which require water, we have an abundance of water because of the Mirim and Mangueira Lagoons. I believe that these factors have contributed to the municipality’s good performance in the national ranking,” highlights the Secretary of Agriculture of Santa Vitória do Palmar, Vilson Corrêa.

Rio Grande do Sul accounts for 68% of Brazilian rice production, having exported to 80 countries, with emphasis on Mexico, Costa Rica and Senegal, according to data from the 2024 Radiografia da Agropecuária Gaúcha.

In addition to Santa Vitória do Palmar, in first place in terms of production value, three other municipalities stand out: Uruguaiana in 2nd place, Alegrete in 3rd and Itaqui in 5th place. In fourth place is Lagoa da Confusão, in Tocantins.

The five largest municipalities with the largest quantity of rice produced are from Rio Grande do Sul. Santa Vitória do Palmar in 1st, Uruguaiana in 2nd, Alegrete in 3rd, Itaqui in 4th and Dom Pedrito in 5th place.

“Rice is very important to the economy of Rio Grande do Sul, given that of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, more than 200 depend on rice cultivation, both economically and socially. The rice sector directly employs more than 15 people and is responsible for 1,5% to 2% of the state’s ICMS tax revenue,” says Alexandre Velho, president of the Federation of Rice Growers of Rio Grande do Sul (Federarroz).

According to him, Rio Grande do Sul is the main producing state with 8,523 million tons/year. “And due to the vocation that the Southern Half of Rio Grande do Sul has, we will continue to be protagonists in national rice production, both due to the characteristics of the climate and the high technologies used by producers”, he highlights.

Dom Pedrito

The municipality of Dom Pedrito is in 78th place in the ranking of the 100 municipalities with the highest production value and in 5th place in the quantity of rice produced, with 3,1% of the total produced in the country.

According to the city government, in addition to producing and processing rice, with an area planted in the 23/24 harvest of 36.063 hectares and an expected increase in this harvest to 38.000 hectares, the municipality stands out as one of the largest soybean producers in Rio Grande do Sul, with approximately 120.000 hectares planted in the 23/24 harvest, according to data from Emater-RS/Ascar. It is the second largest producer of honey, one of the three largest Crioulo horse farms and cattle and sheep herds with cutting-edge genetics and a model in the planting and cultivation of olive trees and wine grapes.

Mayor Mário Augusto Freire Gonçalves highlights the economic strength that agribusiness has for Dom Pedrito. “This data reinforces the vocation of our city and our producers and how hard we work to innovate and permanently increase productivity,” he says. According to the mayor, “we have the responsibility to continue investing heavily so that agribusiness remains an important source of income for our producers and a driving force for the progress of our city.”

cow

The municipality of Vacaria, which is the one hundredth municipality in the national ranking of municipalities with the highest production value, has fruit growing as its main economic activity. It is the largest apple producer in Rio Grande do Sul and the 2nd largest in the country. Grain production is in second place. Other highlights in the municipality's economy include livestock farming, the production of small fruits, commerce and the provision of services.

“This is a very important achievement and demonstrates the collective effort between the municipality, which increasingly invests in improving municipal roads to transport production, through the Municipal Department of Agriculture; and the producers, who seek to produce more each year, investing in areas and new technologies”, highlights the Secretary of Agriculture and Environment of Vacaria, Alexandra Oliboni, the first woman to assume the position in the city.

Research

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, through the Secretariat of Agricultural Policy (Mapa/SPA), mapped the 100 richest municipalities in Brazil in agribusiness. The analysis is based on data from the IBGE's annual survey on Municipal Agricultural Production (PAM).

The 100 municipalities with the highest production value occupy a harvested area of ​​33,1 million hectares, representing 34,5% of the total area of ​​95,8 million hectares in Brazil. The information base covers 70 products from temporary and permanent crops produced in the 5.563 Brazilian municipalities, and the ranking of the 100 municipalities is based on production value.

Among the products, soybeans remain at the top, representing R$348,6 billion, or 42,8% of the total value of agricultural production. Corn also showed significant results, with R$101,8 billion, followed by sugarcane, with R$101,9 billion. In rice production, Rio Grande do Sul leads with Santa Vitória do Palmar, responsible for 5,6% of national production.

The list includes municipalities located in 14 Brazilian states: Bahia, Federal District, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Tocantins.