São Paulo – A region called Alto Uruguay, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is gradually becoming a large producer of fruit. The bulk of production still consists of grain, which covers 818.000 acres, but orchard crops grow by the year, according to information published on the website of the Emater/Ascar, a public company of rural technical assistance that operates in several states of Brazil.
According to the company website, in the municipality of Mariano Moro, for example, orchard crops, which were zero in 1990, currently occupy 1.235 acres. The main reason, according to the head of the municipal office of Emater/RS-Ascar in Mariano Moro, Armando Vendrami, is the region’s ideal climate for fruit production. Fruit farming is more profitable than grain crops as well.
There is also the possibility of sure sales of fruit. A group of 30 truckers buys part of the production, which is targeted at the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná and Mato Grosso, in addition to Rio Grande do Sul itself. “Grain production is for large properties. Small farmers are more likely to earn more from fruit than from grain. The trend here is to expand production so as to include other type of fruit, such as melon, pineapple and persimmon,” said Vendrami.
Presently, out of 400 families in the rural area of Mariano Moro who benefit from the services of Emater/RS-Ascar, 180 are involved in fruit farming and citriculture. Diversification provides further income options to farmers and strengthens their permanence in the rural area. Vendrami, who is passionate about fruit farming, is also the president of the Mariano Moro Fruit Farmers Association. According to him, investing in fruit farming is great business.
*With information from Emater-Ascar. Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
