Meeting will present a scenario of barley production in Brazil

Assessing the limitations and opportunities of barley cultivation in Brazil is the objective of the 33rd National Barley Research Meeting, which takes place in Passo Fundo-RS, in the Embrapa Trigo auditorium, on the 2nd and 3rd of August. The cultivation area has remained close to 100 thousand hectares, but the production volume is expected to be a record this harvest.

Barley cultivation began to expand in Brazil in the 1970s, largely due to initiatives by the brewing industry, which encouraged national production to guarantee supply. From 1976 to the present day, the cultivated area has fluctuated around 100 thousand hectares. The crop yield, however, showed a constant increase throughout this period, going from 1.018 kg/ha, in 1976, to 3.812 kg/ha, in 2021, which also guaranteed a constant increase in national production, which went from 95 thousand tons to 425 thousand tons in the same period. For the 2022 harvest, the forecast is to reach a record 430,8 thousand tons of barley (Conab, Jul2022).

To meet the need for barley grains from malting plants installed in Brazil, around 830 thousand tons of grains are needed annually, that is, double the volume that has been produced in recent years.

Barley cultivation in Brazil is concentrated in the South Region, with the grains mainly destined for the production of malt used by the brewing industry. In recent years, the cultivation area has increased in Paraná, however, reduced in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Rio Grande do Sul, which already cultivated more than 100 thousand hectares of barley at the end of the 1990s, in 2021 cultivated only 38 thousand hectares. Even with 73,4 thousand hectares in 2021, the gradual increase in area in Paraná has not been enough to meet the growing demand for barley grains.

According to Embrapa Trigo researcher, Aloisio Vilarinho, one of the reasons that could be given for the reduction in the barley cultivation area in Rio Grande do Sul is the uncertainties caused by the climate, especially in the crop's reproductive period, when excess Rainfall can harm grain quality, increasing mycotoxin levels or reducing the germination content of harvested grains. He explains that, to be used in malting, barley grains must meet some minimum quality standards and harvesting in a very rainy period harms the achievement of this standard: “Grains outside the standard are not accepted for malting and are destined for other uses, including animal feed, however, at prices much lower than those paid for grains with quality for malt. It is likely that this risk, associated with the possibility of not obtaining quality grains, is discouraging farmers in Rio Grande do Sul from investing in barley cultivation”, concludes Vilarinho.

Brazil follows a global trend, where the area allocated to barley cultivation in the world has been falling since the end of the 70s, when it was cultivated at 80 million hectares. Currently, there are around 50 million hectares. The volume produced, however, has increased, despite the reduction in planted area, thanks to constant increases in productivity brought about by improvements in production techniques and genetic improvement of the crop.

Evolving in production technology and, mainly, in genetic improvement, with the development of barley cultivars capable of minimizing the effects of climate on the quality of harvested grains are ways to encourage a possible increase in the cultivation area, guaranteeing greater security for farmers to invest in culture and stability in the supply of quality grains for the industry.

The 33rd National Barley Research Meeting will bring together the technical and scientific community to discuss advances and challenges in the use of technology in the field. Research results will be presented in 22 works, in addition to 6 technical lectures. The promotion is by Ambev, with support from Embrapa and FAPA/Agrária.

The complete program is on the website www.embrapa.br/reuniao-cevada.