Launched just over a month ago, the Irriga Paraná program is encouraging rural producers to expand irrigated areas in the state to increase the productivity of their crops. The initiative will allocate around R$200 million to the actions, with around R$150 million in credit lines facilitated for the implementation of irrigation systems, which guarantee greater predictability and income for farmers, especially in regions that suffer more from irregular rainfall.
The idea is to expand the scope of credit for irrigation projects on rural properties, which was already planned since 2020, when the Banco do Agricultor Paranaense, operated by Fomento Paraná, was launched. From that date until the end of August, 151 irrigation projects had been formalized in the state, totaling around 1.000 hectares of irrigated area. The proposals total R$20,8 million in financing, of which around R$7,6 million was allocated by the state government as a subsidy for interest rates by the Banco do Agricultor.
In addition to the proposals already accepted, another 2.500 hectares of land are subject to projects being developed by the Paraná Rural Development Institute (IDR-Paraná) and partner institutions, which include cooperatives and irrigation equipment companies. In addition, the Water and Land Institute (IAT) has already issued 1.474 water use permit documents for irrigation purposes this year.
Most of the investments planned for the program will be earmarked for financing credit lines. In total, R$150 million will be used for this purpose, of which R$78 million will come from the Banco do Agricultor Paranaense, with interest rate subsidies; R$42 million from the Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul (BRDE); and R$30 million via the Fundo de Equipamento Agropecuário do Paraná (Feap), managed by IDR-Paraná.
Other forms of funding will be regulated to expand the projects. A specific BRDE credit line is also planned, with interest subsidies ranging from 7% to 12% per year, depending on the financing amount, available throughout the year. The government will also support the implementation of irrigated systems for family farming with direct subsidies to the final beneficiary, of up to 80% of the project value, limited to R$20.
One of the main objectives of Irriga Paraná is to increase the irrigated area in the state by 20%, from the current 170 thousand hectares, which is equivalent to 3% of the area used for farming in the state, to approximately 205 thousand hectares. The idea is to reduce crop failures due to droughts, especially in the Northwest region, which is one of the regions most affected by the lack of rain.
“For many years, Paraná did not have problems with water deficits. It had regular rainfall and always produced well. Droughts were rare events. But we are seeing the effects of climate change, with periods of drought and even very intense rainfall that have been getting worse,” explains Seab’s technical director, Benno Henrique Doetzer.
According to him, it is estimated that Paraná has suffered a loss of R$40 billion in the last five harvests in soybean, corn, wheat and bean crops alone due to the water deficit. “This has begun to negatively affect the state’s production. And we have a large number of farmers who depend on this production and have their livelihoods at risk,” he highlights. “That is why the government is concerned about working not only with irrigation, but with water security in general, to guarantee production, income and food security in the state.”
In addition to promoting irrigation projects, the state is working on other fronts provided for in the Water Security Program for Agriculture, established by state law in the first half of this year. The policy seeks to mitigate the effects of water scarcity in order to anticipate the effects of climate change. It is also a complementary step to other initiatives in the area, such as simpler regulations for environmental licensing for water reserves and exemption from ICMS (Tax on the Sale of Goods and Services) for irrigation equipment.
R$20 million will be allocated to the research area with resources from Banco do Agricultor, Feap, the State Water Resources Fund (FERH) and the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Higher Education (Seti).
Investments include improving water resource management in strategic basins, with the installation of radar and stations; encouraging the use of different energy matrices in irrigated agriculture, through RenovaPR; and promoting the use of water for reuse in irrigation, especially in regions where animal protein is produced.
In addition, training courses on sustainable irrigation systems will be encouraged. The first, held by the State University of Maringá (UEM), began in 2022 and involved 15 technicians from IDR-Paraná, and a second class will begin this month, including professionals from other agencies and the private sector. The goal is to improve technical assistance in the area, encouraging the rational use of water.
Farmer Luis Henrique Escarmanhani has a 110-acre property in Alto Paraná, in the Northwest region, the majority of which is used for agriculture and livestock. Part of the area, approximately 23 acre, is used for soybean production in the summer and pasture in the winter, and now has a central pivot irrigation system in order to optimize livestock farming.
He explains that the installation took into account the topography of the land and, despite the cost, irrigation had a positive impact on productivity. “With what I invested in irrigation, I could buy 12 more acres of land, but they would be unproductive,” he says. “Irrigation brings more productivity to the area I already have. What matters is the amount of green matter I have to feed my cattle. In the end, I have a higher productivity in 20 irrigated acres than I would have in 50 acres without irrigation.” Although the project was not financed by the Banco do Agricultor Paranaense, Escarmanhani had technical support from IDR-Paraná and support from the Instituto Água e Terra (IAT) for feasibility analysis and authorization of the concession for the use of water for irrigation.
“Land is very expensive nowadays and you need to optimize it, producing more and more, otherwise it becomes economically unviable,” says the producer. “With adequate fertilization and humidity, compared to other more productive areas, productivity has increased by 30%, because there is no water shortage. It has even made it easier to insure the crop. When it is irrigated, there is no bureaucracy, because the risks are much lower than in non-irrigated areas,” he added.
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