Zoning for soy and corn benefits 15 municipalities in Roraima

The Ministry of (Agriculture, Livestock and Supply) approved the first climate risk zoning for the cultivation of soybeans and corn in Roraima. The measure covers 15 municipalities in the state and was published this Friday (26) in the Official Gazette of the Union.

The zoning, carried out by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), comprises the municipalities of Alto Alegre, Amajari, Boa Vista, Bonfim, Cantá, Caracaraí, Caroebe, Iracema, Mucajaí, Normandia, Pacaraima, Rorainópolis, São João da Baliza, São Luiz, Uiramutã.

According to the general coordinator of Agricultural Zoning at Mapa, Hugo Rodrigues, the agricultural zonings for soybeans and corn were made respecting areas without forests, areas of cerrado and deforestation until 2008. Based on the Prodes Project – satellite monitoring of deforestation in the Amazon Legal – Embrapa verified the areas suitable for planting, to avoid indicating forest areas and follow the rules of the Brazilian Forest Code.

The measure allows, in the event of crop losses, the producer to have access to agricultural insurance and Proagro (Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program).

With studies of municipalities suitable for planting grains and the best sowing time, minister Kátia Abreu highlighted, during a meeting with senator Romero Jucá (PMDB-RR), last Wednesday (24), that producers in Roraima will be able to plan their harvests. In addition, they will be able to negotiate lower interest rates when taking out credit and rural insurance.

Zoning seeks to reduce risks related to climate phenomena and allows each municipality to identify the best time to plant crops, in different types of soil and cultivar cycles.

According to data from the Brazilian Supply Company (Conab), Roraima produced 64 thousand tons of soybeans in the 2014/2015 harvest. The planting of the legume extended to 23,8 thousand hectares.

In the 2014/2015 cycle, the state harvested 15,4 thousand tons of corn, on 6,2 thousand hectares.