Innovation marks the planting of the Rice Harvest Opening area

This week, the sowing of the area that will host the 30th Official Opening of the Rice and Grains Harvest in Lowlands began, with the planting of the main area and preparation of adjacent land. The event will take place from the 12th to the 14th of February 2020 at Estação Terras Baixas, from Embrapa Clima Temperado, in Capão do Leão (RS), and will focus on themes such as intensification and sustainability, by encouraging the search for the integration of rice with the crop soybean and livestock farming.

As last year, the area will be divided between two cultivars: Irga 431 CL, from the Riograndense Rice Institute, and BRS Pampa CL, produced by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). Next door, there will be an expansion of the space reserved for pastures for livestock, and the installation of a pivot for rice irrigation. The president of the Federation of Rice Growers Associations of Rio Grande do Sul (Federarroz), Alexandre Velho, highlights that this is a great innovation, as the equipment, which is normally used in soybean crops, will also be used for rice. “The event is a great opportunity for producers to seek information, exchange experiences and follow company launches. We want to show that there are alternatives that bring safety and sustainability to rice cultivation,” he says.

For the leader, the future involves exploring activities that go beyond monoculture. “Alternating with soybeans can reduce production costs by 15%, and increase productivity in the range of 10% to 20%”, he highlights, adding that each property has its own characteristics and, therefore, each one must implement the best system within its own capabilities. “We want producers to visualize opportunities and paths”, he reinforces.

According to the coordinator of the Rio Grandense Rice Institute (Irga) in the South Zone, André Matos, in addition to the main area, the companies' technological showcases will also be sown in the coming weeks, which will have demonstration crops to form part of the itinerary for producers seeking information and news. in the sector. “We highlight our effort to make an even better and more sophisticated Opening, which brings complementary knowledge and is useful to the producer”, he comments. Matos also highlights the participation of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), which will present its studies and solutions for the rice production chain.

On October 11th, the Official Opening of the Rice Harvest will be launched during the Expofeira de Pelotas, starting at 15pm, at the headquarters of the Pelotas Rural Association, in the Ildefonso Simões Lopes park. The Official Opening of the Rice Harvest is a promotion by Federarroz, co-organized by Embrapa and supported by Irga. The event aims to develop the rice farming sector, bringing together producers, collaborators, authorities, entities and companies in the rice agribusiness, with the aim of showing scientific advances and discussing the socioeconomic reality of the sector at a national and international level.