Apple producers ask for more modern and efficient pesticides

Mayors and apple producers from Santa Catarina met this Wednesday (21) with the executive secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), Marcos Montes. At the meeting, they called for the release of new agricultural pesticide molecules. According to the group, new products are needed to replace the old ones, which they consider "outdated".

Giovani Nunes, mayor of São Joaquim (SC), is one of those who presented the demand. The city is considered the Brazilian apple capital with approximately 2,3 producers. “With the approval of new pesticides, we are able to reduce costs, reduce the number of sprays, the number of treatments with safe molecules”, he says.

Nunes also highlights that the release would make production even safer. “Our apple is now exported throughout Europe and follows strict pesticide residue control. So, apples today have very strong safety, they do not cause any health problems.”

In addition to reducing costs, they highlight that the approval of new molecules will increase the number of apples harvested. “We will have the possibility of producing more. We need more effective pesticides already used in other countries in the fruit growing sector”, says the mayor of Fraiburgo (SC), Claudete Gheller Mathias.

Stay competitive

According to Diego Nesi, director of the Association of Apple and Pear Producers of Santa Catarina (Amap), the release of new molecules will also bring more competitiveness, with the inclusion of more brands in the market. “The molecules we are using are not very efficient.”

After hearing the reports, executive secretary Marcos Montes reinforced the work of the Ministry of Agriculture in keeping the registration queue moving. “[New] pesticides bring more safety and reduce the number of sprays. We will continue our work to provide more efficient and less toxic products”, he guarantees.

Production

Currently, Santa Catarina has 16 thousand hectares of apple production, according to Amap. Around 400 thousand tons are produced per year. The city of São Joaquim is the largest producer in the country. The states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina account for 95% of national production. Each producer has, on average, four hectares.