Sesame and peanuts diversify production system and generate income

Rural producers in the Center-South of Brazil have had a challenge for a long time: the question of alternatives to soy, corn and cotton, “almost always in low sustainability systems”, as Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste researcher Fernando Mendes says. Lamas. But he's not the only one who says this.

For a long time, research institutions, such as Embrapa, have been researching alternatives to diversify the production system and take them to technical assistance and rural producers: Direct Planting System, Crop-Livestock Integration, Corn Consortium with Braquiária and many others. other technological assets were and are developed with the aim of improving Brazilian agriculture.

In the search for alternatives, two crops are currently being appreciated by producers: peanuts and sesame. Mato Grosso, for example, is a state with a considerable area of ​​sesame, around 170 thousand hectares, always being cultivated after soybeans. “Peanuts have been growing here in the Center-South region of Brazil. São Paulo is the largest peanut producing state [724,1 thousand tons, in the 2022/2023 harvest]. 

In Mato Grosso do Sul, given its climate conditions, peanuts have also been occupying a very interesting space [around 7 thousand hectares], especially when it comes to sugarcane plantation reform”, says Lamas, with peanuts, in this state, gaining space in the regions of the municipalities of Nova Andradina and Glória de Dourados. The researcher says that peanuts, nowadays, present an attractive profitability for rural producers and this is encouraging the sector.

One point that stands out is the quality of the two products, especially peanuts. There are certain environmental conditions that favor the establishment of a fungus called Aspergillus flavus, which produces a toxin that is poisonous to humans. Therefore, the producer must pay attention to conditions in the field, such as the sowing time and harvesting method, to prevent this fungus from reproducing in the crop.

Tecnofam 2024

At Tecnofam 2024, which will be held from April 16th to 18th, there will be peanut and sesame cultivars from Embrapa that can be seen in the field, at the Dourados Exhibition Park, MS, where researcher Lamas will be showing and answering questions about they are: Amendoim BRS 421 OL, Amendoim BRS 423 OL, Amendoim BRS 425 OL and Amendoim BRS 426 OL. Gergelim BRS Morena, Gergelim BRS Seda and Gergelim BRS Anahí.

In short, peanuts and sesame are alternatives to the models that are predominant, both in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Mato Grosso do Sul, soybeans and corn, and, in Mato Grosso, soybeans and corn, soybeans and cotton. “These two products currently have a very significant demand on the international market, especially the European market, which is a very demanding market in terms of production system”, he concludes.