Getap launches national award for sorghum.

The Productivity Enhancement Tactical Group (Getap), renowned for its corn-related competition, has announced the official launch of an award for sorghum, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at recognizing producers who strive for high yield potential, efficiency, and the use of technology in their crop. Registration is open until May 31st nationwide, and comes at a strategic moment for the cereal, which is experiencing a consistent growth cycle in Brazil.

According to an analysis by Céleres Consultoria, sorghum is currently one of the crops with the greatest potential for expansion in the country. “The planted area has grown by more than 50% in the last five years, with an average increase of 10% per year, a rate comparable to that of more prominent crops, such as corn. Even so, it is underutilized, occupying just over 2,5 million hectares, less than 5% of the area available for the second crop,” states Enilson Nogueira, consultant at Céleres.

According to the expert, sorghum is no longer seen merely as a low-investment, end-of-season alternative. "With current productivity and margin levels in medium and high-technology systems, the attractiveness of the cereal has changed in the producer's mind. Today it is seen as a complementary crop to corn, especially in the Cerrado region," he emphasizes.

This repositioning is occurring in parallel with the evolution of demand. Beyond its traditional use in animal feed, sorghum is gaining ground in the cereal ethanol chain, which already consumes more than 25 million tons of grain per year, in addition to the opening of the Chinese market in 2025, which has enabled Brazil as an exporter of the cereal. Céleres expects total demand for sorghum to reach between 10 and 13 million tons by 2030, practically doubling compared to the current volume.

States with potential

The Céleres consultant points out which areas present clear opportunities for sorghum:

• MG/GO/SP: Traditional regions for the production and consumption of the grain. The producer and the supply chain are already familiar with the crop;
• Matopiba with a significant focus on Western Bahia: regions with high climate risk and low occupancy rates for second-crop farming, and new mills in the regions;
• MT/MS: Supply growth driven by grain ethanol plants.

New award

It is in this context that Getap Sorgo was born, focusing on producers who wish to challenge themselves technically and seek ever higher production ceilings. According to Gustavo Capanema, technical coordinator of Getap, the award will be national, without regional division, and will have as its main criterion productivity, evaluated from technical indicators such as grains per cluster, grain weight and overall agronomic performance of the crop.

“Getap has always wanted to expand its operations to different grains, and sorghum stood out initially as a strong alternative in the second crop season with great growth potential, especially due to its use in ethanol production,” explains Capanema.

Registration can be done directly through the Group's website, through award sponsors, or independently, broadening access for producers with different technological profiles. The expectation is to start the awards with a significant number of participants. "Our projection is to begin with a larger volume of producers than that registered in the first corn edition in 2021, and to show, right from the start, the strong potential of sorghum in productivity, technology use, and profitability," he emphasizes.

Another distinguishing feature of the award is the engagement of the supply chain. "We already have important partners confirmed, such as Advanta and Oilema, reinforcing the sector's interest in fostering the technical and market development of sorghum," adds the coordinator.

The winners of the Getap Sorgo award will be announced at the end of November during an exclusive event bringing together producers, partner companies, and industry experts, solidifying the cereal as a strategic crop within Brazilian production systems.