New market options can increase wheat cultivated area

Directing wheat production to meet consumer and industry demands, also targeting the international market, were some of the aspects addressed by the speakers during the panel 'Strategies and opportunities for Brazilian wheat', held this Tuesday afternoon (03 /07), during the 12th Meeting of the Brazilian Wheat and Triticale Research Commission which is taking place in the auditorium of the Faculty of Law of the University of Passo Fundo, in Passo Fundo/RS, until Thursday (05/07). The agronomic, industrial and economic part were positioned by representatives of the sector.

The president of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Fecoagro), Paulo Pires, highlighted that Rio Grande do Sul, unlike other states in the country, is an exporter of wheat. “In periods of good harvest, we have a surplus and this ends up becoming a serious liquidity problem. We estimate to produce 2,5 million tons (t) this harvest and our consumption is 1,2 million tons. Thus, our challenge is to do with wheat what other states did with corn, a second crop with additional income. Because of this, we are working with Embrapa on a way to produce wheat - without harming the production of raw materials for the mills - but with promotion for the foreign market. “Rio Grande do Sul is beginning to discuss the diversification of wheat production. It is a means of encouraging an increase in cultivated area”, explains Pires.

Rio Grande do Sul is expected to cultivate around 670 hectares of wheat this harvest and Brazil is expected to cultivate less than 2 million hectares, although it has already planted over 2,3 million hectares. The expectations and paths that allow the expansion of cultivated area in Brazil were presented in the talk by Índio Brasil da Silva dos Santos, from Solo Corretora. He defends alternatives to producer liquidity, such as the feed industry as an opportunity for wheat from Rio Grande do Sul.

The modernization of the industry, prepared to receive wheat with new genetics in accordance with consumer demands, was presented by the president of the Union of Wheat Industries in the State of Paraná (Sinditrigo), Daniel Kümme, also an advisor to Abitrigo. According to the speaker, with the evolution of wheat, there is an improvement in the quality of flour, meeting consumer needs, such as different brands, varied purchasing opportunities, with a diversity of products and wheat of specific qualities according to each purpose. “We still need to structure quality, but we are on the way. Each region has different types of wheat. This is a challenge for the industry”, he points out, also highlighting that the regulations on pesticides, mycotoxins and labeling are quite demanding for the industry and deserve greater attention from the producer.

Embrapa Trigo researcher João Leonardo Fernandes Pires highlighted the needs in production systems, where wheat and other cereals play an important role. “We have different types of wheat, from improver, bread, biscuit and others capable of serving different markets. A scenario that could be interesting is dual-purpose wheat, which serves both crops and livestock, producing silage, grazing and grains. But whatever the focus of production, more specialization is needed, meeting the standards established in each sector,” he declares.