Promoting irrigation will be the theme of the Opening of the Rice Harvest

One of the most discussed topics in the last year in the agricultural sector of Rio Grande do Sul, irrigation will also be highlighted at the 31st Official Opening of the Rice and Grain Harvest in Terras Baixas, which takes place in a hybrid form from the 9th to the 11th of February at the Terras Baixas Experimental Station, from Embrapa Clima Temperado, in Capão do Leão (RS), and virtually. The drought that occurred last season, which also raised concerns at the beginning of this summer, placed the issue at the center of producers' discussions.

Since the last edition, the event has been bringing irrigation as one of its safety points for crops. This year, a panel will discuss the subject on the afternoon of February 9th. The former president of the Federation of Rice Growers Associations of Rio Grande do Sul (Federarroz), Henrique Dornelles, will be the mediator of the panel “Irrigation as Diversification Insurance”. “Year after year we observe that even if there is no strong drought of days without rain, even on a small number of days, the drought becomes noticeable due to the high temperatures”, he highlights.

For Dornelles, Rice, despite being in a good moment, has no margin to tie the game. He states that the producer needs to win the game and have some advantage in the system, which is the case of integration, so that he can carry out his activity better. “Therefore, as costs are always increasing, the producer needs to diversify, but he also needs to be concerned about irrigation at the same time. We look at systems such as sprinkler or flood. Only the producer will be able to say what is most efficient for their soil characteristics and water availability”, she highlights.

The president of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FecoAgro/RS), Paulo Pires, will be one of the panelists at the event. An important issue, according to the director, is encouraging irrigation to bring security to producers. "The producer cannot live with this uncertainty that the climate of Rio Grande do Sul presents us with. We have enough rain, but it is poorly distributed. It is a perfect place for us to implement irrigation. But we need it to have a greater participation in the system and maintain, even in adversity, the harvest in Rio Grande do Sul. We cannot have this drastic fluctuation. Irrigation will help to verticalize and increase production per area and bring more security and guarantees to the producer", he observes.

Agricultural engineer and rice and soy producer in Camaquã (RS), Alvaro Huber Ribeiro, participates in the Sulco project, led by Embrapa with the participation of several companies. At the event, he will present stages of implementation of the project where the soybean crop is irrigated by the ridge system. "We carried out a first crop last year and this year we are repeating it, with the idea of ​​improving productivity and avoiding losses due to drought. We had a good result in the last harvest, the crop is well implemented and we are seeing a way to make irrigation viable in the floodplain using the structure used in rice", he emphasizes.

The agronomist and technical manager of Grupo Ceolin, from Uruguaiana (RS), Joel Michelotti, will show the work carried out in Fronteira Oeste, where they cultivate 11 thousand hectares of rice in the region. For four years they have been developing projects for soybean areas, in addition to the use of irrigation on silage and corn grain, used to finish cattle after pasture and supplementation in forage voids. One challenge, according to the expert, is to overcome irregular rainfall and soil conditions. "The characteristic of our region is rainfall, with averages between 1,2 and 1,3 millimeters per year on a historical average. In recent years we have had an average of 1,5 millimeters. This volume of rain would practically meet the need of water for most crops, but our rainfall is poorly distributed with a dry summer. We have long dry periods lasting more than 20 days and an accumulated rainfall of two days. We also have very shallow soils, most of which have little capacity for water retention", he ponders.

The 31st Official Opening of the Rice and Grains Harvest in Lowlands has as its theme “The New Directions of the Production System”. It is carried out by Federarroz, co-organized by Embrapa and premium sponsorship by the Instituto Riograndense do Arroz (Irga) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa). Information and registration can be obtained on the website www.colhetadoarroz.com.br.