Rice producer reduces costs after installing irrigation pivot

From North to South, in all Brazilian states, it is difficult to find a family that does not include rice on the menu. To keep the country well supplied with this important food and so representative of national cuisine, we rely on producers who strive every day to bring the cereal to the tables of practically all Brazilians.

With this mission comes a high dose of responsibility and the always high demand means that those who plant need to be able to maintain equally high productivity.

In an increasingly demanding and competitive market, how is it possible to meet the challenge? Typically, a flooded field, with water everywhere, is a common image when imagining a rice farm. After all, irrigation is essential, as the cereal needs large amounts of water to proliferate.

However, flooding is not the only viable way to plant rice. And it is not, by far, the most profitable and efficient. The central pivot, with its advantages related to labor efficiency, use of resources and positive results, has proven to be a more than useful tool to contribute to production.

In Itaqui, in Rio Grande do Sul, producer Bernardo Alvarez, from Capiati Agropecuária, has been farming flooded rice since the early 70s. After decades of investing in this form of irrigation, he decided to innovate and, in 2005, , started to rely on the pivot to supply his field with the necessary water. Already in the planning stage, the pivot has already revealed positive differences in the production system.

“With the pivot, we have the guarantee that water will be applied at the most appropriate time and we have precise control to distribute irrigation throughout the year. Whatever the crop, including rice, it is easy to execute and also to monitor”, comments Bernardo.

On Capiati's property, the land has 467 irrigated hectares, all of which are served by six central pivots, five from Valley. The change from the flooded regime to the pivot marked a significant moment in the company's history, as the results have been surprising in the almost 15 years since the equipment was installed.

“It was surprising to realize that the productivity we achieved under the pivot is exactly the same as what we recorded with flooded rice. In the last harvest, we reached 9 thousand kg per hectare, an expressive productivity. Taking into account the ease of using the pivot compared to other systems, it was a very pleasant result”, he says.

But the real surprise came when calculating the costs of the irrigation system. “Irrigation expenses fell by half compared to the flood. Therefore, since there is no difference in profitability, it is very clear that the pivot is the best solution. It’s a very good tool, you can’t go wrong”, celebrates the producer.

In addition to clearly contributing to the success of the venture, the pivot also responded to the demands of an increasingly busy market. “It was necessary to change our direction, otherwise we would leave the market. It is necessary to realize that the market is asking for this change. The old way of producing is no longer economically viable, and the producer needs to adapt to this reality”, says Bernardo.