Increase in the area planted with onions in Santa Catarina

An expansion in the area planted with onions and the maintenance of the trend of wheat cultivation in almost the entire State. These are some of the expectations for the 2023/2024 Winter Harvest in Santa Catarina. The information was passed on during the event “Launch of Winter Harvest Estimates and Climate Analysis and Perspective”, held by the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (Epagri) and the State Secretariat for Agriculture (SAR) on Monday. fair, June 19th.  

The estimates are generated from harvest monitoring developed by the Center for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning (Epagri/Cepa). In addition to the crops already mentioned, data on the expected production of oats, barley and garlic were also presented.  

Onion cultivation expansion

The area planted with onions in Santa Catarina should grow in the 2023/2024 harvest. The initial estimate by Epagri/Cepa is that 18,4 hectares of the vegetable will be cultivated, 4,5% more than last year. According to the Socioeconomics and Rural Development analyst at Epagri/Cepa, Jurandi Gugel, this growth is explained by the good performance of crops and the market in the past harvest. Santa Catarina is the main Brazilian producer of vegetables.

As productivity in the 2022/2023 crop was above average, the estimate for the crop that starts in the second half of this year is for a slightly lower productivity, but within the historical average. The initial expectation is that production will reach 554 thousand tons, which is equivalent to the second highest amount since 2012. The main onion producing micro-region is Ituporanga, followed by Tabuleiro.

Fall of garlic cultivation

Garlic production, which takes place mainly in the micro-regions of Joaçaba and Curitibanos, is expected to decrease in the 2023/2024 harvest. The initial estimate is that the planted area will be reduced by more than 27% compared to the previous harvest, that is, cultivation should cover around 1,17 thousand hectares. If the outlook is confirmed, it will be the smallest planting area since 2012, when Epagri/Cepa began systematic monitoring. Estimated production is almost 12 thousand tons.

According to Gugel, this downward trend in planted area is explained by the low prices paid to producers in most of the marketing period of the past harvest, which have made the crop less attractive. There is, however, the possibility that there will be changes in the estimate, because in recent months there has been a recovery in the market, which may influence the decision of producers.

Wheat cultivation should continue to rise

The main cereal cultivated in the winter season, in Santa Catarina, is wheat. In the 2023/2024 harvest, it is estimated that around 137,4 hectares of grain will be planted. The main producing micro-regions are Chapecó, Xanxerê, Curitibanos and Canoinhas. The productivity expectation is 3,4 thousand kilos per hectare, which should yield a total production of 475,5 thousand tons. These estimates represent a small decrease in the planted area, of 1,6%, and in production, of 1,3%, compared to the past season. However, when observing the trajectory of the area occupied by the grain in the State, one can see a significant increase in cultivation in recent years. For comparison purposes, in 2019 wheat occupied 50,8 thousand hectares.

According to the Socioeconomics and Rural Development analyst at Epagri/Cepa, João Alves, the main reason for the significant increase in production over the last four years was economic, since wheat remained at a high price level. The use of grain as an input for feed production also encouraged producers to enter the production chain, mainly because this guarantees the sale of the product even with a lower quality than that required for flour production.

Barley production growth

Although barley production still occupies a small area in the State compared to oats and wheat, Epagri/Cepa estimates that, in the 2023/2024 harvest, the planted area will grow by just over 47% compared to with the previous crop. It is estimated that 1,3 hectares will be cultivated with the grain, most of it in the Curitibanos micro-region, but also in Campos de Lages and in the Joaçaba micro-region. The expectation is that the total production, in the 2023/2024 harvest, will reach 5,6 thousand tons, an increase of almost 50% in comparison with the previous harvest.

According to Alves, the amount of barley produced in Santa Catarina fluctuates significantly from one year to the next, as specific initiatives by companies in the beverage sector boost cultivation according to demand. “In general, the cultivation of barley takes place based on contracts closed at the time of planting, as it is a product that is very sensitive to climate behavior”, he explains.

Oat production stability

The estimate for the production of oats is that 33,3 thousand hectares will be cultivated, practically the same amount of the last crop. Production and productivity should decrease by around 3% compared to the 2022/2023 harvest. In total, the expectation is that more than 51,5 thousand tons of grain will be harvested. The main producing microregion is Xanxerê. In general, grain production in Santa Catarina is destined for seeds.