16
Leadership
renewal
Soybean continues on the
rise inWesternBahia and
harvest reaches upwards
of 5.1million tons in the
2016/17 growing season,
biggest volume ever
reached in the region
The Golden kernel in our national agriculture, and equally leader in the
relevant producingarea inWesternBahia, reaffirms its outstandingposition
in the 2016/17 growing season. Soybean produced in Bahia, concentrated
in this region, has continuedon its soaringproduction trend, andhas recov-
ered from less representative production periods, blamed on such factors
as dry spells, and harvested the biggest volume ever achieved, upwards of
5.1million tons. Most relevant expression of this crop in the Northeast and
North of the Country, Western Bahia accounted for about 4.5% of the Bra-
zilian volume of the oilseed, a crop of which it is one of themajor producers
and continues steadily on a rising trend.
Soybean has found fertile soil for its development in the Far West of Ba-
hia, besides the natural conditions, it is a crop grown by farmers that mas-
ter its technology. It is also characterizedby its liquidity, including anticipat-
edsales, apersistentmarket at local andglobal level, favoredbyprivateand
official financing conditions, aswell as vast storage facili-
ties, says agronomic engineer Luiz Stahlke, agribusiness
advisor at the Bahia Association of Farmers and Irriga-
tors (Aiba). Within this context, the kernel equally takes
advantage of crushing structures in Luís EduardoMagal-
hães and Barreiras, where perspectives for new invest-
ments are in the pipeline.
In view of this, its cultivation should register further
growth in the region in the 2017/18 growing season, about 1.3%, comprising
1.6millionhectares,accordingtothefirstestimatesreleasedbyAiba’sTechnical
Council, consisting of several organisms linked to agribusiness. The projected
performanceisthehighesteverreached,of56sacksperhectare,inthe 2010/11
season, whilst in the past crop year this amount was nearly reached, with 54
sacksperhectare.Therefore,theamountofkernelsproducedcouldcomeclose
to 5.4 million tons in the next growing season in Western Bahia, which would
translateintoanotherrecordcrop.
The largest part of thegrainsproduced in the region isusuallydestined for
More for the crop
In themeantime, initiatives areexpanded
onbehalf of themainagricultural crop in
the region, both in thephytosanitaryplan,
as is the caseofmonitoringanticipated
plantingof irrigatedsoybeanand thenewand
relevant programrelative to theAsianRust
(theme that isparticularlyaddressed in this
edition), andwith regard tomore sustainable
activities in theproducingareas.Within this
context, theWesternBahiaSoybeanPlus
Programis expanded. It promotes continuous
management initiativeson the rural properties,
comprisingenvironmental, economic and
social plans in theentire supply chain.
FundedbytheAgricultureDevelopment
Program(Prodeagro),oftheregion,andbythe
BrazilianVegetableOilIndustriesAssociation
(Abiove),theworkiscarriedoutbyAibaand
Abiove,jointlywiththeFederalUniversityof
Viçosa,inMinasGerais.In2017,theworkconsists
ingivingassistanceto160ruralpropertiesinnine
municipalities,inWesternBahia,involving326
thousandhectaresofsoybeanandbenefiting
2,460permanentworkersand1,076temporary
workers,andtheactivitiesincludeseveral
coursesonruralmanagement,healthproblems,
workplacesafetyandlaborlegislation.Itis
consideredbyAbioveas“apassportforholding
soybeaninhighregardintheEuropeanmarket”,
whichhasalreadybeenaccessedbythe
importantandsoaringcropinBahia.
Areadevotedtothe
oilseed is supposed
togoup 1.3%in
thenext season
abroad,ataratethatremainedcloseto62%two
years ago and in 2017, up to September, it was
around46%of the total. China is the leading im-
porter, followed by Japan, Italy, Pakistan, Viet-
nam, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Spain and
Portugal. Exports are basically shipped abroad
through the port of Salvador, in Bahia, which
in the year in question accounted for 94.5% of
the total, while smaller portions were shipped
through the ports of Ilhéus, equally in Bahia;
São Luís, in Maranhão; Barcarena, in Pará; the
port of Santos, in São Paulo, and the port of Rio
Grande, inRioGrandedoSul.
Fonte:
Conselho Técnico da Aiba.
– * Primeira estimativa.
O DESEMPENHO REGIONAL DA OLEAGINOSA
the regional performance of the oilseed
Números de uma década da soja no Oeste da Bahia
Safra
Área (mil ha)
Produtividade (sc/ha)
Produção (mil t)
2006/07
850
45
2.295
2007/08
935
51
2.839
2008/09
983
43
2.506
2009/10
1.050
51
3.213
2010/11
1.100
56
3.696
2011/12
1.150
48
3.321
2012/13
1.285
38
2.722
2013/14
1.310
42
3.318
2014/15
1.420
49
4.175
2015/16
1.528
35
3.209
2016/17
1.580
54
5.119
2017/18*
1.600
56
5.376
