Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statis-
tics (IBGE), relative to some crops of the sec-
tor likewise attest to declines in planted ar-
eas and smaller production volumes in 2015
and 2016, with some recovery in the lat-
ter year. For its part, the Center for Applied
Studies on Advanced Economics (Cepea) of
the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture
(Esalq), at the University of São Paulo (USP),
ascertained an area reduction of 0.47% in
the regions where the biggest crops of the
following are grown: tomatoes, potatoes,
onions, carrots and green leaf salads, in
2014 and 2015, pointing to influences from
the climate, stocks and the economy.
Waldemar Pires de Camargo Filho and
Felipe Pires de Camargo, researchers at the
Institute of Agricultural Economics (IAE),
in São Paulo, comment that “2012, 2013
and 2014 were years characterized by er-
ratic weather conditions and prices not in
line with normal standards”. However, they
emphasize, “the water and supply crisis sig-
naled brighter days in late spring 2015”. In
light of the problems that occurred within
this context, they emphasize that “it would
be plausible if each State in the big growing
regions devised a targets plan, and civil soci-
ety got mobilized to require technical con-
sultations and investments capable of pro-
ducing the desired improvements”.
Need for changes and steps forward in
light of unstable supplies have already been
mentioned in the 2015 Vegetables Yearbook,
by a specialist in this area, Paulo César Tava-
res de Melo, professor at Esalq. He unveiled
the urgent need for, by means of new action
plans, producing more with less and find-
ing solutions to all organizational problems.
The segment now relies on more organiza-
tions and, at the Sectoral Chamber, accord-
ing to coordinator Waldir de Lemos, there is
a fight going on towards improving the in-
adequate atmosphere relative to the sanitary
status of the products, a reality that affects
the farmers. The professor requires an “end
to the spread of lies, with all due respect to a
sector that feeds the population”.
Productivity rate of the
crops is on a rising trend
over a longer period
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