Divulgação/Abapa
91
Cotton inBahiagrows
under thesupervisionof a
bollweevil fightingprogram
andinassociationwith
theResponsibleBrazilian
CottonProgram(ABR)
Abapahasbeen
enactingseveral
initiatives that lend
support tothe
crop intheregion
With record productivity of 310 arrobas of cotton per hectare in the past
season, the cotton farmers in Bahia attested in the field the results and invest-
ments in technology, prevention and fight against pests. Relying on support
from the Bahia Association of Cotton Producers (Abapa), the farmers contin-
ue making strides in actions and strategies, which, along with timely rainfall,
should guarantee in the 2017/2018 growing season the sustainable growth of
thewhite gold in the lands of WesternBahia.
With an area of 272 thousand hectares devoted to the crop, up 35 percent
fromtheprevious season, as of June, the farmers hope tooutstrip the514 thou-
sand tons of fiber. Besides timely rainfall, the good results are linked to the stra-
tegicmoves of the Phytosanitary Program, conducted by
the cotton producers in Bahia, and articulated by Aba-
pa’s technical team for the control and prevention of the
cotton boll weevil. All investments in the program were
renewed by the Administrative Council of the Brazilian
Cotton Institute (IBA) and expanded by the Fund for the
Development of CottonAgribusiness (Fundeagro).
“We are all doing our homework and determined
to fight the pests, encouraging the involvement of the
farmers, farmmanagers, consultants, researchers andagriculture surveillance
agencies through regional cotton pests control nuclei”, explains Abapa pres-
ident Júlio Cézar Busato, upon mentioning that there was a reduction in the
amount of insecticides applied on the field, and zero damage from the cot-
tonboll weevil in themajority of the cotton fields in the 2016/17 season. In the
1980s, the pest destroyed inBrazil around 4million hectares; since then, it has
been a constant concernwith the supply chain.
Besides compliance with environmental and labor legislation, Abapa has
also been encouraging the cotton farmers in Bahia to hold sustainability in
high esteem. With the adhesion to the Responsible Brazilian Cotton Program
(ABR), the entity has been lending its contribution towards keeping Brazil’s
status as biggest supplier of sustainable cotton in the world, by ensuring 30
percent of the fiber approved by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) all over the
world. In order to encourage the cultivation of cotton in the southeastern por-
tion in Bahia, equally with an eye on sustainability, in November 2017, 50 irri-
gationkitsweredelivered to the farmers inVale
do Iuiú. Since the beginning of the project, in
the 2014/15 growing season, 84 kits have been
delivered with technical support and technol-
ogy transference of the Western Bahia farm-
ers, encouraging the economy of such cities as
Guanambi, Malhada and Lagoa Real.
QUALITY OF THE FIBER
With the focus on
turning cotton more competitive in the na-
tional and international market, Abapa pos-
sesses, in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, one of
the most modern cotton classification labo-
ratories in Latin America. Classification is es-
sential to specify the quality, thus lending
support to the farmer when it comes to de-
ciding where and to whom the fiber is sold. In
the past season, more than a million samples
were analyzed, attesting to the quality of the
cotton produced in Bahia.
On the list of the Abapa projects what has
been gaining momentum over the past years
is incentive to the recovery of vicinal roads
through which the grains produced in West-
ern Bahia are transported.
Important roads have already received re-
pair works in agriculture production areas, like
the Placas Road (Barreiras), Road Garganta/
Panambi/PedradaBaliza (FormosadoRioPre-
to), Soy Roadway (São Desidério), Road Alto
Horizonte (Luís EduardoMagalhães) andMam-
baí to Jaborandi, among others.
Capacity Building
The entity is also concernedwith the quali-
fication of professionals involved in the cotton
supply chain. Until the beginning of Novem-
ber, some six thousand professionals had at-
tended 200 capacity building courses, direct-
ly focused on agriculture. “The cotton supply
chain employs directly or indirectly around 70
thousand people. We hold in high esteem and
believe inour professionalswhohavebeendo-
ing their part in keeping Western Bahia as one
of themost important agricultural hubs in Bra-
zil”, says Abapa president Júlio Cézar Busato.
Sustainableand
pest
free
