Training updates knowledge about the production of Amazonian Robusta Coffees

Coffee cultivation requires knowledge and use of appropriate technologies to guarantee productive crops and quality beans. To learn more about the culture, 40 technicians from official rural extension and private technical assistance companies, stationed in the various municipalities of Acre, participated in the course “Update on the Robustas Amazônicos Coffee Production System”, from the 3rd to the 5th of August . The trained professionals will act as multipliers of technological knowledge with coffee producers. 

Carried out by Embrapa of Acre and Rondônia, in partnership with the State Secretariat for Production and Agribusiness (Sepa), the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae/AC) and the National Rural Learning Service (Senar), the training emphasized characteristics of coffee growing in Acre and aspects of the production of Robusta Amazonian clonal coffees in Acre and Rondônia.

“Coffee is grown in 15 of the 22 municipalities in Acre and the growing search for the crop has increased the demand for training. In the course we cover everything from the implementation and formation of the crop, management of the coffee plantation, nutritional and pest management and water stress control, to good harvest and post-harvest practices”, explains Embrapa Acre researcher, Aureny Lunz.

For Marcelo Curitiba, a researcher at Embrapa Rondônia, Acre is suitable for coffee growing, but factors such as the high prices of inputs, due to the geographic distances in relation to centers in the country, and the low access to technologies still hinder the development of the activity. in the State. There is a growing interest in clonal coffees and also a lot of uncertainty regarding cultivation, due to farmers' little tradition in the culture.

“We have worked to raise awareness among technicians and producers about the practices recommended for the different stages of cultivation and the adoption of technologies. Reconciling theoretical knowledge with field practices facilitates learning, however, the search for information must be continuous, since coffee is a culture with many particularities”, highlights the researcher. 

Practical class

The course was part of the technical program of the Acre Agricultural and Business Fair (Expoacre), which had coffee growing as one of the highlights of the Acre productive sector. “Due to the growth of the coffee production chain in Acre, we identified the need to train technicians who work directly with rural producers and brought professionals with know-how in the culture to teach the activity”, says Michelma Neves, training coordinator at Sepa .

The theoretical classes, in the auditorium of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), were complemented with practices carried out on a rural property in the municipality of Acrelândia, a partner in Embrapa's research into Robustas Amazônicos clonal coffees, approximately 100 kilometers from Rio White. “The production context allows us to show appropriate procedures, adopted in the different phases of culture, and reinforce content taught in the classroom. This practical interaction in the field also makes it possible to identify possible mistakes in farming and provide guidance on what should be done and how to do it, and also represents a learning opportunity for the rural producer”, highlights Aureny Lunz.

Regarding the implementation of the coffee plantation, one of the aspects highlighted was the use of techniques to induce plant growth with the appropriate number of stems, a procedure that contributes to increased productivity in the first harvest. Participants also learned about different management, using coffee straw, and were able to see the difference between crops with and without this material, both subjected to the same treatment (with the same amount of water and fertilizer supplied).

“The coffee grown with straw was greener and looked better compared to the one that did not use the product. We also address the planting of coffee intercropped with corn, between the rows of coffee trees while the plants are small. Intercropped crops enhance the production of food and income in the same area and, mainly, help to keep the soil covered, which favors the increase in organic matter, which the plants will use as fertilizers”, explains João Maria Diocleciano, analyst at Embrapa Rondônia.

The technician at the Sepa office in Cruzeiro do Sul, Genilson Maia, believes that having well-prepared extension workers is a requirement for developing coffee production in Acre. The Juruá region was once one of the main producers of the grain in the State, but due to losses in the activity, producers abandoned the seminal coffee plantations. “Clonal coffees are enabling the resumption of culture. In addition to up-to-date technical knowledge, farmers need to have accessible lines of credit to enable investments in technologies”, he assesses.

For Aliny Alencar de Lima, agronomist at Empresa Agro com Elas, which works with technical assistance, the training brought recent research data on coffee production, but what caught the most attention were the criteria for production and selection of seedlings and preparation of the area. “It is common for rural producers to opt for genetic materials that their neighbors used and worked well, however, the choice of coffee varieties must consider the specificities of the property’s soil”, says the extensionist, who also highlights the sharing of knowledge as an essential action for guarantee information that can increase the profitability of crops and contribute to the maintenance of rural families in the countryside.

Marcos Goes, extension worker in Assis Brasil, considers coffee farming to be a promising activity, which can generate income for rural families and strengthen the local economy. The organization of producers and the support of institutions linked to the production sector have made cultivation viable in the municipality, which already has a seedling nursery and a grain processing machine. "Clonal coffee production is still a new activity in the State. Our mission is to support this production chain, meeting farmers in their crop demands. The course was an excellent opportunity to answer questions and add technical information to improve production and quality of the coffee produced”.

Family production

Coffee growing in Acre is a family-based activity, carried out predominantly on small farms. In Colônia Lara, where the practical class was held, the family has been planting coffee since 1998 and is a pioneer in the production of clonal coffee in Acre. Farmer Wanderlei de Lara says that the first clones he planted he brought from Espírito Santo, but the plants did not adapt and he had to look for other varieties.

 “Production took a leap with the clones acquired in Rondônia. To give you an idea, in seminal coffee plantations, even well managed, productivity did not exceed 30 bags of 60 kilos/hectare. With clonal coffees, production is 90 to 150 bags per hectare. In the last harvest, carried out in April, we harvested 700 bags of coffee, which will be sold at the beginning of next year. Our coffee is produced within recommended handling, harvesting and post-harvest criteria and this guarantees product quality and better prices on the market”, emphasizes the producer.

Corn, cassava, beans and fruit trees are also grown on the Lara property, but the main source of income is coffee production. Working on the eight-hectare farm involves the whole family. “Coffee cultivation requires special care and constant monitoring to ensure that everything works well, with each step carried out at the right time, from the formation of cuttings to produce seedlings, to harvesting, drying and bagging the beans. We work together with our children, and family unity strengthens the activity. Everything we built and achieved was due to coffee culture”, says farmer Eliane Manzoli Lara.

Amazonian Robusta Coffees 

Acre currently has 13 nurseries specializing in clonal coffees, 7 of which are accredited by Mapa, for the production and sale of seedlings. With the arrival of these companies in the State, many rural properties that still have seminal coffee plantations are replacing the old coffee plantations. Among the coffees planted are Amazonian Robustas, hybrid clonal varieties, resulting from the crossing of Canéfora coffee plants from the Robusta and Conilon groups. 

Studies show that seminal coffees have high genetic variability and low productivity, aspects that compromise production. With the aim of strengthening coffee farming in the Amazon, Embrapa tested and recommended 10 clonal coffee cultivars in different states in the region. In Acre, this research took place between 2012 and 2019, in the municipalities of Acrelândia, Rio Branco and Cruzeiro do Sul. Because they are adapted to the region's climate and soil, clonal coffees are more productive and resistant to diseases.

According to Marcelo Curitiba, Robusta Amazônicos coffees are rustic, however, demanding in terms of water, which is why the use of irrigation in crops is recommended. It is possible to produce without irrigating, however, it is necessary to reinforce care with soil management and preparation and use quality genetic materials, among other factors that help to enhance production. Even so, there is a high risk of production losses due to dry spells resulting from atypical climatic situations.

“In irrigated crops, the average gain in productivity is up to 30% in relation to crops without irrigation, both of which are well managed. Although the cost of an irrigation system is still high for most farmers, we always seek to show that in addition to improving crop performance, the use of this technology brings other associated benefits, such as the possibility of using fertigation, a technique for providing fertilizers for plants via an irrigation system, which helps reduce production input costs”, says the researcher.