| Cotton

Cotton training prepares producers for the 2020 harvest

The training takes place on the 29th and 30th of January, in Quixeramobim and Barbalha, respectively

28.01.2020 | 20:59 (UTC -3)

Edna Santos and Joanna Cruz

This last weekIn January, cotton producers in the Central and Southern regions of Ceará will be offered a technical course on cotton cultivation. The training takes place on January 29th and 30th, in Quixeramobim and Barbalha, respectively. The course is part of the Cotton Culture Modernization Program in Ceará, coordinated by the Secretariat of Economic Development and Labor (Sedet), in partnership with the Agricultural Defense Agency of the State of Ceará (Adagri), Ministry of Agriculture, Emprapa and Banco from northeast. Registration is free and can be done at the course location.

The program aims to introduce new cotton production technologies in the State to meet the needs of the local textile industry and generate employment and income in rural areas.

In 2020, the three regions with the greatest potential for cotton cultivation in Ceará will be covered (South, Central and Jaguaribana). “During the courses and workshops we will pass on information about the new technologies developed by Embrapa Algodão, with more resistant seeds”, highlighted the coordinator of the Cotton Culture Modernization Program in Ceará, Euvaldo Bringel.

The state of Ceará is the third largest cotton consumer hub in Brazil. “Here in the state there are large textile industries and the sale of cotton is guaranteed. Not to mention the favorable conditions we have to produce cotton, with the necessary sun and light”, highlighted the program coordinator.

All links gathered

Embrapa Algodão analyst Gildo Araújo highlights that during the courses all links in the cotton production chain in the State will be represented. “We will have the participation of Embrapa, with the research; banks, with financing; the Agricultural Defense Agency, with health surveillance; the Ministry of Agriculture, with the issue of seeds; industry representatives, who committed to purchasing all production, in addition to the Federal University of Cariri and the Faculty of Technology of Ceará. So, we will have all the links in the chain covered in just one day, where we can greatly help farmers in this aspect of production as a whole”, he says.

According to him, the State's production chain is optimistic for the 2020 harvest, thanks to the results obtained in the last harvest, with around 800 hectares cultivated, productivity estimated at 2.500 kilos per hectare, and the rain forecast for this year. Gildo Araújo assesses that, despite the productivity below the Cerrado average, the low production costs compensate for the crop in the State. “These low production costs are mainly due to the low incidence of pests and diseases in the Cariri region, due to the long period we had without planting cotton. Most producers reached the end of the cycle without any application against pests or diseases”, celebrates the Embrapa analyst. “Hence the importance of these trainings to continue improving productivity rates and keeping pests and diseases under control”, he adds.