Proposals to strengthen coffee growing in Paraná

In 2023, coffee farming in Paraná is expected to undergo restructuring in its various segments, in the search for more sustainability. The starting point for this is the State Plan for Support and Development of Coffee Production in Paraná, prepared in the second half of last year by several entities, such as Sistema FAEP/SENAR-PR, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural do Paraná (IDR-Paraná ), Federation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers of the State of Paraná (Fetaep) and State Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply (Seab).

The material lists the main challenges facing the chain in Paraná, such as the low price of coffee in recent years; high production costs, especially inputs; labor shortage in quantity and quality; adverse weather conditions; and lack of technical assistance, with low availability of professionals. From this, goals and objectives were defined to guide the actions, aiming to promote an increase in the cultivated area and the profitability of coffee growers.

The president of the Coffee Production Technical Committee (CT) of the FAEP/SENAR-PR System, Walter Ferreira Lima, highlights three points of support for the plan: public policies, with partnership actions between state and municipal governments; people management, with associations and human development; and technology and technical assistance. “I believe that these are the basis for achieving an increase in productivity, income and quality of Paraná coffee and reaching, in the future, the mark of three million bags processed [the last harvest in Paraná reached 498 thousand bags]. This allows the chain to have the agility and volume to arouse market interest,” he says.

Training rural producers is one of the strategies for chain development. In Carlópolis, for example, the increase in the area dedicated to cultivation grew from 750 hectares in 1970 to 5,5 thousand hectares in recent decades. It was only possible thanks to the professionalization of coffee growers, many of whom took a SENAR-PR course. In 20 years, the entity has held 632 courses on coffee, almost 30% of which are in Carlópolis.

“The municipality has a local coffee growing development plan, which includes a partnership with the Rural union that demands courses for the FAEP/SENAR-PR System. This promotes producer education and technical assistance training. Today, Carlópolis is a state reference in coffee growing, being a good example to be followed”, highlights Bruno Vizioli, technician from the Technical and Economic Department of the FAEP/SENAR-PR System.

The document highlights technologies available for Paraná coffee growers to achieve productivity higher than the national average, of 27,4 bags processed per hectare. The average for Paraná is 27 bags per hectare. “We have many areas with low productivity because they are old production models, which need to adapt to new technologies. However, for the producer to assimilate the new product, he needs technical assistance in this process. That’s where associations, support from the State and engagement from municipalities come in”, adds Lima.

History

The plan provides a summary of coffee farming in Paraná, which was the most productive in the country until the 1960s, with more than 1,8 million hectares planted and representing 60% of the total value of agricultural production in the State. With the black frost of 1975, coffee crops in Paraná were devastated, especially in the North and Northwest regions, the main producers.

Since then, the profile of coffee production has had to reinvent itself. Today, the focus is on specialty coffees, which guarantee more added value to the income of rural families in Paraná. With the Paraná Coffee Quality Program in 1997, the State began to be recognized as a producer of specialty coffees, consolidating itself on the national and global scene.

According to the Department of Rural Economy (Deral), coffee is present in 187 municipalities in the State, while the activity is carried out by around 6 thousand families, being their only or largest source of income.

However, the area allocated to coffee planting in Paraná has decreased significantly in the last 20 years, with farmers leaving the activity. According to Deral, in the 2021/22 harvest, the coffee area recorded a loss of 17,3%, while average productivity reduced by 28,4%. Projections indicate that only 26,6 thousand hectares will be allocated to grain cultivation in the 2022/2023 harvest, generating a production of approximately 42,8 thousand tons.

How the plan will work

See the summary of the project that aims to revitalize coffee growing in Paraná:

lines of action

– Research: development of cultivars with more productivity, resistance, different maturation cycles, different drinking qualities; development of an agroforestry system aiming at crop sustainability; resumption of research in the area of ​​soils and mechanization;

– Technical assistance and rural extension: organization of a coordinated technical assistance network; implementation of demonstration units for new coffee cultivars developed by IDR-Paraná; hiring extension agents to reinforce the technical assistance and rural extension team;

– Production: management and conservation of soil and fertility; increased productivity; cost reduction; mechanization; quality improvement; producer organization; process sustainability; business management;

– Marketing: adding value; organization of production; enabling and structuring post-harvest centers, preparation of specialty coffees and coffee standardization.

Main

– Increase the area in Paraná by 5 thousand hectares to 90 thousand hectares in the next 12 years;

– Increase average productivity to 40 sc/ha;

– Increase production to three million bags in 12 years;

– Produce at least 80% of coffee with type 6 hard drink quality;

– Produce at least 20% of specialty coffees;

– Reduce production costs to 70% of the value of the processed bag;

– Mechanize 80% of the state area in the next four years;

– Train and provide technical assistance to 2 new coffee growers per year through an ATER network (IDR, cooperatives, city halls and coffee grower organizations) coordinated by IDR-Paraná.