Poliniza SC Program will be launched at the apple festival

Agriculture is heavily dependent on insects for food production. At least a third of all crops depend on pollination. As agriculture grows, the need for pollinators increases. Protecting bees requires a joint effort from beekeepers, scientists and public bodies. And so that bees can remain in their essential tasks in the ecosystem, the Santa Catarina State Department of Agriculture will launch the Poliniza Santa Catarina program.

The intention is to support farmers in the pollination of crops of agricultural importance through the Agro Development program. Beekeepers duly trained and evaluated by FAASC (Federation of Associations of Beekeepers and Meliponicultors of Santa Catarina), registered with Cidasc and with technical parameters of the hives within the specifications provided for in the registration, can take part in the project.

The program aims to organize, value and protect bees in pollination with benefits in the productivity of fruits, vegetables and grains. It will also monitor and warn about the appropriate use of agricultural pesticides, avoiding deaths and reducing the lifespan of bees and, consequently, honey poisoning and the elimination of hives.

Today Santa Catarina has 9 thousand beekeepers and approximately 315 thousand hives in production. In the 2022/2023 harvest, the state produced 7,5 thousand tons of honey, adding income for beekeepers and farmers

Agriculture Secretary Valdir Colatto informed that he will launch the Poliniza Santa Catarina program during the Apple Festival, which takes place from September 07th to 10th in São Joaquim.

“Beekeeping and meliponiculture are important activities, which generate income and wealth for thousands of rural producers in Santa Catarina. In addition to playing a fundamental role in pollination, especially in fruit growing. The Agriculture Secretariat will continue to support the production sector, with programs and projects to encourage the use of technologies that can result in increased production and the protection of bees”, highlights Agriculture Secretary Valdir Colatto.

Five facts about honey in Santa Catarina:

• Received six awards as the best in the world.

• The state is among the four largest producers in Brazil.

• The state has 100 wild types of honey.

• There are 297.863 hives across the state.

• Içara, with 13,5 thousand, and Bom Retiro, with 12.786, lead the ranking in number of Hives.