Partnerships enable fruit growing hub in northeast Goiás

The northeast of Goiás could become Brazil's newest irrigated fruit growing hub in the coming years. Actions in this regard are already underway and are part of the Vão do Paranã Irrigated Fruit Farming Project. The initiative is being implemented by the Goiás State Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa/GO) and has a partnership with Embrapa Cerrados and the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valleys Development Company (Codevasf).

Initially, family farmers from the Goiás municipalities of Flores de Goiás, Formosa and São João d’ Aliança will participate. The total planned area, around 300 hectares supplied by the Paranã and Ribeirão Porteira river dams, reaches 4.500 families from 22 rural settlements. In the initial phase, the project proposes to serve around 150 farmers pre-selected by Seapa/GO technicians who will receive irrigation kits purchased by Codevasf. The investment was R$9,3 million.

According to the researcher and deputy head of Research and Development at Embrapa Cerrados, Lineu Rodrigues, farmers will benefit from the best irrigation management technology available. “The idea is to show that technologies are not exclusive to a specific group and that they are accessible to any range of producers, regardless of their size and income,” she said.

According to him, the intention is for this project to serve as a model for others in the country, making the necessary adaptations. “Fruit farming is of special importance due to the amount of labor it employs and the ability to generate economic and social returns. We are very hopeful of bringing social and regional development to these communities,” he said. Within the scope of the project, Embrapa Cerrados will be responsible for providing assistance to producers with regard to water and soil management.

The initial focus will be on passion fruit, mango and pitaya crops. According to Seapa/GO, the area has an estimated production capacity of more than four thousand tons of passion fruit and six thousand tons of mango per year, which, according to the organization, should be effective from the second and third years of implantation of crops, respectively. Farmers are being selected based on technical criteria, including the availability of area and water and their interest in participating in mandatory training in handling and management. Each property will receive an irrigation kit to cover two hectares.

"The initiative and project are very important because they involve strategic partnerships linked to research and development, technology transfer, public policies and the productive sector. Synergistic and complementary actions by all partners involved will be carried out to enable the production of irrigated fruit farming and, thus, , transforming a needy region into a fruit production hub with high market potential and high added value”, said the head of Technology Transfer and researcher at Embrapa Cerrados, Fábio Faleiro.