Brasília – In the current crop, Brazil is going to harvest 146,000 tonnes of castor oil plant, representing growth of 55.8% compared with the last crop. According to the National Food Supply Company (Conab), the expansion of production was driven by greater use of castor oil in several products, including manufacturing of fluid for aircraft and rockets.
The compound prevents the fuel from freezing when submitted to low temperatures at high altitudes. Castor seeds are also used for manufacturing contact lenses, lipstick, foam for mattresses, paint, and fertilisers.
The plant is resistant to dry weather, which makes it an option for farmers in the Brazilian semiarid region, located in the northeast of the country. The Northeast currently answers to 93% of national castor oil plant production. In this crop, planted area grew 7.3% and productivity saw an increase of 45.3%, compared with the previous crop. Productivity totals 875 kilograms per hectare, whereas ten years ago it totalled 142 kilograms.
National farmers earn 74 reals (US$ 46.50) for a 60-kilogram bag of castor bean. In the first half this year, the country posted revenues of US$ 6.18 million from exports of 3,416 tonnes of oils derived from the plant. At the Rotterdam stock exchange, in Holland, where the oil is traded, average price is currently US$ 1,568 per tonne.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
