Irrigated fruit farming strengthens production in western Bahia

A promising region that already records high productivity rates in several crops. This is the Middle São Francisco region, in western Bahia, known nationally through the 500st Irrigated Fruit Farming Seminar, held last week. Around XNUMX people attended the event in the municipality of Barra, which included technical panels and visits to rural properties in the region.

Farmer Gleise Melo decided to invest in the region in 2013 and now grows coconuts and cocoa, the flagship of this highly technologically advanced production. She sees possibilities for vertical integration here. “Our idea is to set up an agroindustry so we can continue processing coconuts, adding to our results and contributing to the local community that we have found here,” says the farmer.

Like Gleise, the approximately 70 farmers who are part of the Rural Producers Union of Barra (SindBarra) are excited about the opportunities for growth, which include both crop diversification and the attraction of industries and energy. “Although our strength is fruit growing, we also have significant results in grain cultivation and livestock farming, activities that add even more value to the region and show the unlimited potential for growth,” says Marco Caviola, president of the Association.

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Vice-president of the Bahia Agriculture and Livestock Federation, rural producer Carminha Míssio was surprised by the properties in the region. She says that the sector's attention should turn to attracting resources.

“We are seeing a unique opportunity to bring together small, medium or large producers, investors or professionals who work in this area to contribute to the generation of jobs and income for the population, not only in the state, but throughout Brazil”, argues Carminha.

Present at the 1st Irrigated Fruit Farming Seminar, the president of the Brazilian Association of Fruit and Derivative Producers and Exporters (Abrafrutas), Guilherme Coelho, emphasized the importance of the region in contributing to the national market. “It is a region rich in water, rich in land, rich in soil, and rich in many people wanting to work. Irrigation in fruit farming is a model of transformation, and here we see the strength of this in practice,” says Coelho.

Bahian fruit growing

With several production centers, Bahia's fruit industry generated R$5,7 billion in 2023, representing 19% of national fruit exports, with a 55% increase compared to the previous year. The state is the largest producer of mangoes in Brazil and the fourth largest producer of grapes, and is also emerging as an international reference in the production of cocoa in new areas.

The Middle São Francisco region, bathed by the São Francisco and Rio Grande rivers, is home to an abundance of water resources, a strategic location for logistics and transportation of products and inputs, as well as a climate conducive to irrigated production, which is emerging with technology and the application of sustainable techniques.

The region will host the Barra Agro Show in 2025, an agribusiness fair that is expected to further boost fruit production and the development of irrigated agriculture. Approximately 60 exhibitors are expected at the event, which is scheduled for October next year.