Abapa promotes tour to monitor cotton pests in Bahia

With the progress of the cotton harvest in Bahia, the team from the Phytosanitary Program of the Bahian Association of Cotton Producers (Abapa) carried out tours of the agricultural areas of Western Bahia over the last two months. At the beginning of March, on the 4th, technicians were present to monitor the progress of the crops at the Roda Velha and Nova América centers, and on the 3rd, at the Campo Grande and Cascudeiro centers. The main objective is to visit cotton and soybean rotation areas, with the exchange of information on management from soil preparation, destruction of bush trees and cotton stumps.

This type of action, according to the president of Abapa, Júlio Cézar Busato, has been fundamental for the entities' monitoring of the 2019/2020 harvest underway in Western Bahia with harvest expected for the beginning of June. “This is a phytosanitary program for the cotton sector that is a reference throughout Brazil and the positive results are directly linked to the presence of leading producers who encourage and mobilize farmers to manage and control crops appropriately at this stage of crop development”, he states. .

At the end of February, on the 28th, it was time to visit producers in the Alto Horizonte, Paraíso and Rodovia da Soja centers; and on the 21st, from the farms located on Estrada do Café and Anel da Soja. On the occasion, Abapa technicians, together with those from Aiba and Fundação Bahia, exchanged experiences and provided efficient strategies for farm managers and technicians to manage the prevention of pests and diseases in crops such as cotton boll weevil and soybean rust. .

Started last December, the new harvest is expected to occupy a total area of ​​315 thousand hectares. With the resumption of regular and well-distributed rains in agricultural areas, Abapa estimates that productivity and production will remain at the same level as last harvest, when 1,5 million tons of cotton (pill and seed) were harvested, despite 5% reduction in area. The forecast for the start of the harvest is in June.