Jacto expands technologies for maximum efficiency in coffee harvesting

Always focused on contributing with innovations and excellence in coffee production - which should reach around 60 million bags in 2024, according to estimates from the National Supply Company (Conab) - Jacto, a Brazilian multinational of agricultural machinery, services and solutions, announces new technologies embedded in the portfolio of coffee harvesters.

Although it is not possible to accurately indicate the volume to be harvested in the next harvest, as it is the largest producer and exporter of the grain in the world, Brazil is the market's focus of attention. In the case of Arabica coffee, the Cepea/Esalq Indicator has been operating above R$2.000/60 kg bag since November 26, closing last month at R$2.098,06/bag, the highest real daily value since June 9, 1997.

The accumulated increase for the month was 37,55%, while the monthly average for the indicator was R$ 1.774,67/bag, an increase of 19,1% compared to October and the highest since February 1998.

For all terrains

Most of Brazil's high-yielding coffee plantations are located in areas with steep slopes. With this in mind, Jacto coffee harvesters are designed to work in these conditions.

The AK 3000 is an example of a machine that was designed to harvest with quality in terrains that are more difficult to access, with the ability to correct lateral slopes by up to 30%. The new automatic leveling and alignment system allows the machines to work in the best possible position, regardless of the type of terrain, reducing grain loss and damage to the plants.

“Automatic alignment ensures that the equipment operates with the correct direction of the machine in relation to the planting lines, preventing excessive opening of the blades and, therefore, reducing grain losses on the ground. Automatic leveling always positions the machine vertically, following the growth of the plants, regardless of the unevenness of the terrain, thus avoiding damage to the plants during harvesting,” explains Jacto’s coffee harvester manager, Paulo Bueno.

Telemetry for assertive decisions

Jacto has started offering telemetry technology on board the K 3000 and K 3500 self-propelled harvesters. This is an important tool in agriculture 4.0, as it allows rural producers to remotely collect and share data from agricultural applications to make more assertive decisions.

“This technology allows farmers to make a number of advances, such as recording harvest parameters, speed and rotation of the strippers, enabling diagnostics of possible damage to plants after harvesting and correcting the settings for future harvests. In addition, it generates information that helps manage the equipment, such as reasons for downtime, temperature and engine speed, increasing the productivity and availability of the equipment,” Bueno emphasizes.

Onboard telemetry is a technology offered by Jacto Next, Jacto's digital and precision agriculture services division. Through the EKOS operations management platform, producers can remotely and online access detailed information about all their agricultural equipment and systems.

Mechanization of conilon coffee

The features of the K 3000 allowed the company to start mechanizing the harvesting of conilon coffee in the state of Espírito Santo in 2024. A compact, lightweight machine, with a maximum width of 3,2 meters, with great maneuverability in confined spaces and capable of working with quality and safety on terrain with slopes of up to 30%.

“The AK 3000 aims to meet the needs of conilon coffee growers. The robustness and technology of the Jacto harvester promotes a quality harvest for the crop. We are working in Espírito Santo and southern Bahia this year and will expand the market to Rondônia by 2025,” says Jacto’s harvester manager.

With a debarking system that allows harvesting speeds of up to 2,5 km/h and conveyors with a capacity for a flow of more than 14.000 liters of coffee per hour, the K 3000 requires fewer stops due to jamming and avoids reducing speed when productivity is high. In addition to harvesting the coffee from the current harvest, the machine ensures that the plant will be in good condition for the next harvests, which is a major concern for producers.