Notice will select companies to produce bioinput against witches' broom in cocoa production

With the aim of facilitating access and use of Tricovab Bioinsumo by cocoa producers in Brazilian regions, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), through the Executive Committee of the Cocoa Farming Plan (Ceplac), published the Technological Offer Notice No. 01/2022.

The Notice is a way of selecting companies to exclusively produce and market the Tricovab product, recommended for controlling the fungus that causes witches' broom on cocoa trees, a pest that most harms cocoa crops in Brazil. Furthermore, the notice seeks to promote actions aimed at the co-development of the product in partnership with Ceplac, according to the conditions established in the document.

The study to develop Tricovab was initiated in the mid-1990s by researchers at Ceplac, in a major effort to improve the control of witches' broom fungus without chemical residues, enabling its use in organic cocoa farming. Tricovab is proven to be effective, inhibiting the growth of the witches' broom fungus by 99% in the soil and by 57% in the tree canopy.

The director of Ceplac, Waldeck Araújo, states that the use of bioinputs for biological control is growing rapidly in agriculture. “In addition to the excellent results obtained with the use of Tricovab to control cocoa witches’ broom, the product contributes to expanding the bioinputs market in Brazilian agriculture. The offer of Tricovab, for large-scale production, is an important step towards improving productivity and increasing producers’ remuneration”, declares the director.

Companies interested in participating must send the supporting documentation provided for in the Notice to Ceplac, via email, at the electronic address: ceplac.diria@agro.gov.br, by December 9th.

Brazilian cocoa

Returning to being among the top three in the global cocoa production ranking is one of the most important objectives for Brazil. Therefore, expanding the use of bioinput is essential, not only to combat the fungus, but also to prevent cocoa plantations from being lost again as happened in the past.

In the mid-1980s, Brazil was the second largest cocoa producer in the world, but was demoted to importer status after cocoa fields (predominantly in southern Bahia) were affected by the fungus that caused witches' broom at its height. of its production.

Due to its favorable climatic conditions for the spread of the disease, Bahia is the state that suffers most from the plague. The effects of the plague in the region were devastating, causing a 75% drop in production, generating unemployment and rural exodus.

Today, Brazil is the sixth largest producer of cocoa in the world, with production of around 220 thousand tons per year. Pará and Bahia account for 95% of national production.