Hamilton Ramos represents Brazil at an event in Guatemala.

Currently the director of the Advanced Engineering and Automation Division of the Agronomic Institute (DEA-IAC), scientific researcher Hamilton Ramos (pictured) is representing Brazil at the Guatemala Coffee Congress. At the event, in Guatemala City, the capital of the Central American country, on August 6th and 7th, Ramos will give presentations on the technology of applying chemical and biological products to control pests, diseases, and weeds in coffee crops.

According to Ramos, the invitation to the meeting, promoted by Anacafé, the National Association of Coffee Producers of Guatemala, came from the Brazilian company Guarany, a company with over 103 years of history, specializing in spraying equipment for small and medium-sized producers, in partnership with its local distributor, the company Foragro. Anacafé, which has been in existence for 65 years, brings together 125 producing families who cultivate almost 380 hectares of coffee beans in 260 municipalities. Coffee accounts for between 3% and 3,5% of that country's GDP, according to the institution's website.

“The idea is to bring to the event successful experiences obtained with strategic technology projects for the application of chemical and biological products in crops, which have been developed in Brazil by DEA-IAC over the last few years,” says Ramos. The agency, part of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, is based in the city of Jundiaí, São Paulo.

56 years of activities

The Advanced Engineering and Automation Division of IAC celebrated its 56th anniversary on the 14th of this month. Over the last two decades, the research institution has distinguished itself through its pioneering work in developing strategic technologies for the application of agricultural pesticides and the protection of rural workers.

Programs such as Spraying Adjuvants, Apply Well, IAC-Quepia (agricultural PPE), Drones SP, and the Reference Unit for Chemical and Biological Products, for example, originated at DEA in Jundiaí and are recognized both nationally and internationally for delivering significant results to farmers and companies.

Funded with private resources, these programs cover the entire spectrum of operations involving the technological and safe handling of agricultural pesticides.