Santa Catarina invests in winter cereal cultivation to reduce corn deficit

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The state of Santa Catarina is investing in the cultivation of winter cereals as a strategy to reduce the corn deficit and meet the demand of the meat and milk production chain, according to information from the State Secretariat for Agriculture and Fisheries of Santa Catarina. The State Secretariat for Agriculture and Livestock (SAR) is leading the Winter Cereals Cultivation Incentive Program, offering support for increasing the planting area of ​​wheat, triticale and barley. This year, the State Government plans to invest R$3.2 million in this program, an increase of 60% compared to the investment made in 2023.

Producers interested in participating in the Program must look for accredited cooperatives or agricultural houses and formalize the partnership. SAR is granting support of up to R$385.00 per cultivated hectare, an increase of 10%, with a limit of 10 hectares per producer. However, to be eligible for support, the harvested cereal must be used for the production of animal feed.

Santa Catarina has a robust and continually growing animal protein production chain. According to a study by Epagri/Cepa, the state needs around 8 million tons of corn annually to meet this demand. However, in the 2022/2023 harvest, corn production in the state only reached around 3 million tons, according to data from the Observatório Agro Catarinense. This results in a deficit of approximately 5 million tons, which need to be imported from other states and neighboring countries to meet the needs of the Santa Catarina production chain.