Faced with the historic tragedy that hit Rio Grande do Sul, caused by heavy rains since the end of April, entire cities were submerged and the state’s agricultural production was directly affected, particularly rice and soy.
To understand the possible impacts of this tragedy on the supply of the state and the country, this week’s podcast “Where does what I eat come from” spoke with the president of the RS Agriculture Federation (Farsul), Gedeão Pereira.
In addition to the flooded plantationsagriculture in RS faces logistical issues that make it difficult to flow food to the rest of Brazilas roads were destroyed and distribution centers were affected.
One of the biggest concerns of the industry and the federal government is the rice supply. The state leads this production: around 70% of what is consumed in the country leaves Rio Grande do Sul.
It is estimated that, of the total harvest, 80% of the rice had already been harvested, but a part that was still on the ground was underwater and silos (storage systems) were also impacted by the floods.
It is not yet known how much was lost, but factories and the government plan to import rice. However, the president of Farsul does not see the risk of grain shortages in Brazil for the next 10 months.
In second place in soybean production, RS was expected to produce 21.8 million tons this harvest, according to the National Supply Company (Conab). However, because of the floods, the state could lose up to 6% of the harvest, according to a Datagro survey.
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Tags: Tragedy Rio Grande Sul affects rice soy production understand importance state agriculture Agribusiness
