Santa Catarina increases the wheat planted area by 15%

The rise in prices encouraged the planting of wheat in Santa Catarina. With the harvest ending at the end of January, the expectation is that 171 thousand tons will have been harvested, cultivated on approximately 58 thousand hectares - an increase of 15% in the planted area compared to the previous year. The State Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has been encouraging the production of wheat in Santa Catarina's crops as an alternative to reducing the growing dependence on corn for animal feed.

"Although with a drop in productivity, we had a very positive result in the 2020/2021 wheat harvest. We are stimulating research for the development of new cultivars, we want to further expand the area planted with winter cereals in Santa Catarina. We have areas little used, with crops available for planting wheat, triticale and barley, for example, which can be used in the manufacture of animal feed. With this, we will be able to add another source of income for rural producers", highlights the Secretary of Agriculture, Altair Silva.

In some regions such as Canoinhas and São Bento do Sul, the increase in planted area reaches 40%. According to João Rogério Alves, analyst at the Center for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning (Epagri/Cepa), the good prices practiced at the beginning of the harvest led producers to invest in the activity and expand their cultivation areas.

Estimates are that people from Santa Catarina have harvested 171,3 thousand tons of wheat in the 2020/21 harvest, an increase of 11% compared to the previous year. Much of the production is concentrated in the Canoinhas and Chapecó region.

Rising wheat prices

The maintenance of wheat prices at high levels is due to several factors, including insufficient national production to meet demand, as more than half of the volume consumed by the Brazilian market is imported. Another relevant aspect is the international market, with the high dollar and the implementation of tariff barriers imposed by important exporting countries.

Encouragement for planting winter grains

With a constantly growing meat production chain, Santa Catarina is looking for alternatives to reduce dependence on corn and reduce production costs. The State Department of Agriculture intends to reinforce support for the planting of wheat, triticale and barley.

The Department of Agriculture is already developing a Winter Cereal Planting Incentive Project, which aims to expand the area planted with these grains in the state by 120 thousand hectares. The intention is to occupy the cultivation areas also this season, bringing an alternative income for producers and more competitiveness for the meat production chain.