Great audience follows the National Opening of Canola Crop

Event marks officially the beginning of the harvest

Rainy weather does not scared more than 600 people who went to the National Opening of Canola Crop 2012 and the IVº Dia de Campo da Cultura da Canola, on the roadside of BR 285, on the roundabout access to Colorado (RS). The national event aims at broadcasting new technologies with respect to the crop growth, including canola as job and income alternative in the field during the winter period.

The great audience, formed by students, professors, rural technicians, agronomists, authorities, among others, might follow directions on technological news, growth techniques, handling, fertilization, management of property and commercialization, as well as physiology characteristics, development and technical assistance in four technical stations.

At the ceremony, the president of the Brazilian Association of Canola Producers (ABRASCANOLA) and chief executive officer of BSBIOS, Erasmo Carlos Battistella, emphasized that this year canola gains even more importance since we had extreme drought which affected soybean yield. "In 2012, we obtained the proof that producers of Rio Grande do Sul cannot waste winter crops, that is, canola mainly, which is a great opportunity for productive system diversification, occupying land, labor and hybrid resources, machinery, which market is guaranteed," spoke the president.

The vice-president of Cotrijal, Jairo Kohlrausch, reiterated the partnership with BSBIOS for Canola growth. "With the entities' effort, development in research and technologies and technical follow up, we believe that this is a crop that will grow in land, year by year, and bring income to producers mainly," spoke Kohlrausch.

The same idea was shared by the general-chief of Embrapa-Trigo, Sérgio Dotto, who emphasized that winter crops bring sustainability to producers. The producer of Colorado (RS), Ricardo Tomazoni, has planted this crop for three years, in rotation system, asserts that canola will improve his property. "It does not take space from other crops, besides bringing guaranteed profitability I could observe that succeeding crops increase productivity" said Tomazoni.

Dotto still emphasized that a project in partnership with several entities and companies for the crop development has been prepared. "We want to increase the area and productivity in the years to come, hence, Embrapa is providing ten researchers in nine research areas that lie from the mid-south to the south of the country", said the general-chief. The project must be presented in the next few days to the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Secretry of Agriculture.

The coordinator of the Sector Chamber of Wheat, of the State Secretry of Agriculture, livestock and Agro-business (SEAPA), Áureo Mesquita de Almeida, reported that there are many idle areas in the winter, and that the Secretry recognizes that it needs to invest to improve crops in this period, and one of these strategies is to enlarge canola area. "The Sector Chamber, which is named as wheat today, will soon be named as winter crop, and this will open space to a dialogue with canola," asserted Almeida.

The General Coordinator of Biofuels of the Rural Development Ministry (RDM), André Grossi Machado, also emphasized his concern and the federal government effort to qualify the National Program of Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB), increasing the offer of oilseeds, and canola is one of the important crops in Rio Grande do Sul. "We are committed with taking pleads and needs in order to develop this crop," spoke Machado.

To the General Coordinator of Agro-energy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), João da Silva Abreu Neto, there is great chance for canola growth. The demand for canola oil is not going to stop, for biodiesel, biokerose, or for other purposes, so farmers can stay calm. MAPA will continue searching for the best way to equalize the access to production", asserted Neto.

The event was closed with a coffee break where the participants could watch the singer nativista Luiz Carlos Borges's presentation.

The events are promoted by ABRASCANOLA, BSBIOS, Cotrijal, Embrapa-Trigo, Emater/RS, PRODUFORT, Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Colorado and Sindicato Rural de Colorado, with the support of Passo Fundo University (UPF) and Grupo DRS. E, conta com o patrocínio da BSBIOS, Lavoro Concessionário John Deere, Banrisul, Banco do Brasil, Sicredi, Syngenta, Mosaic and Cotrijal.