| Agriculture

Safra Goiás Expedition will travel through 43 municipalities

State agricultural inspectors will address topics such as post-harvest management and pest prevention

14.01.2025 | 17:17 (UTC -3)

Anna Leticia Azevedo

The Goiás Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) will participate, from January 18 to 23, in the Goiás Harvest Expedition, an event that will cover four thousand kilometers and pass through 43 municipalities in all regions of the state. Over the course of six days, the focus will be to visit soybean producing areas, collect materials for research, monitor the development of the crop and outline an overview of the harvest in Goiás. The Expedition is promoted by the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Goiás (Faeg), the Institute for the Strengthening of Agriculture of Goiás (Ifag) and the Rural Unions, with support from the National Rural Learning Service (Senar Goiás) and the Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses (Sebrae Goiás).

The work will begin next Saturday, January 18, at 6 am, leaving from Posse, in the northeast region of the state. There will be three teams made up of 21 technicians, in addition to two other institutional teams, with representatives from the boards of Faeg and Faeg Mulher. A partner of the event, Agrodefesa will be present with the participation of state agricultural inspectors, who during the scheduled stops along the route will offer technical guidance focused on plant health, addressing topics such as the correct use of pesticides, post-harvest management and the elimination of volunteer plants during the sanitary fallow period, to prevent Asian soybean rust, the main pest that can affect the crop.

“Participating in the Goiás Harvest Expedition is a strategic opportunity to strengthen relationships with farmers and promote good agricultural practices. Agrodefesa has always been a partner of rural producers and now, by attending the event, we will be able to expand this health education work, bringing more knowledge about various issues that impact plant health in the state”, highlights the president of Agrodefesa, José Ricardo Caixeta Ramos.

The Health Education Manager at Agrodefesa, Telma Gonzaga, adds that when rural producers understand appropriate management practices, the correct use of pesticides and the need for constant monitoring, it is possible to strengthen agricultural defense in Goiás. “This way, we can protect not only crops, but also the productivity and sustainability of agribusiness in Goiás.”

The coordinator of the Rio Verdão Regional Unit of Agrodefesa, Giovani Miranda, – Rio Verde is one of the municipalities that will receive the Expedition – emphasizes that the Agency already monitors rural producers in their agricultural activities throughout the year, including through educational and guidance campaigns. “Our goal is to ensure that farmers have access to the information they need to comply with legal standards and, at the same time, reap good results in the field. Now, with the Expedition, we will be working together with other entities that also operate in the sector to better understand how the soybean harvest is going in Goiás and identify what can be done to strengthen this agricultural activity in the state,” he says.

Currently, Goiás is a leading producer of soybeans in the country. The state ranks fourth in the ranking of the largest national producers, behind only Mato Grosso, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. The National Supply Company (Conab) forecasts that the 2024/2025 harvest will be 11,7% higher than the production achieved in the 2023/2024 cycle in the state. The estimate is approximately 18,8 million tons of the grain. The area destined for the crop is expected to be 4,95 million hectares (an increase of 2,4% compared to the previous cycle) and the average productivity of 3.797 kilos per hectare (9,1% higher than the 2023/2024 period).

Expedition Dynamics

In partnership with state agricultural inspectors from Agrodefesa, the Goiás Harvest Expedition is expected to reach up to 300 farms throughout the state. Every day, at the end of each daily route, a technical event will be held at the Rural Union of the largest cities, with economist Paulo Molinari addressing market and climate prospects for the 2024/2025 harvest.

“This is the second edition of the initiative promoted by the Faeg System, in partnership with research and information entities to provide the closest possible overview of soybeans in Goiás. In addition to the material collected during our visits, this work will also have the contribution of field technicians from Senar Goiás. All information collected will be sent to the Safra Goiás App, developed by Campo Lab, the Faeg System’s innovation hub, which will help us complete this analysis,” explains Ifag’s technical manager, Leonardo Machado.