Vegetable
seed
transnationals
andmultinationals
concentrateactivities
intheCountryand
encouragetheuseof
hybridtechnologies
inthesector
38
The history of national seed production
goes back to the 1960s, on a small scale and
with cultivations restricted to some species.
Over the years, the sector made big strides
in Brazil, which started to produce most of
the seed required by the domestic market,
particularly open pollination cultivars (non
hybrid). Over the past two decades, with
the modernization of olericulture, besides
the arrival of new hybrids in the market and
globalization, vegetable seed transnation-
als and multinationals began to concen-
trate activities in the Country.
Agronomist Warley Marcos Nascimen-
to, from Embrapa Vegetables, explains that
this change played a determining role for
the Country to again become a great im-
porter of this input, especially hybrid seed.
On average, the performance of the vegeta-
ble supply chain, from the beginning of the
past decade to the present, has been highly
positive”, he notes. With this progress, great
improvement was experienced at field level,
with higher productivity levels of most eco-
nomically relevant cultivations.
According to the researcher, this new re-
ality in our national olericulture has contrib-
uted towards the vigorous growth in value
of the vegetable seed market. In the begin-
ning of the past decade, the total value of
the vegetable seed market was estimated at
R$ 114.4 million; in 2015, it amounted to R$
800 million, according to data released by
the Brazilian Seeds and Seedlings Trade As-
sociation (ABCSEM). From 2001 to 2015, it
went up by an incredible 700%. Now, about
29 national or transnational companies op-
erate in this segment in Brazil.
Nascimento mentions that the supply
chain is gradually importing more seed of
cultivars, especially hybrid F1. “Without any
doubt, the great change implemented by
the companies was the conversion of the
open pollination seed market, of low mar-
ket value, to hybrid cultivars “, he notes. Of
the R$ 550 million traded in 2013, 72% (or
R$ 396 million) and 28% (R$ 154 million)
referred, respectively, to the sales of hybrid
seed and open pollination cultivars.
With
GERANDO RENDA
Generating income
Participação em valor do mercado
de sementes das principais espécies
olerícolas no Brasil, em 2013.
Fonte:
ABCSEM/ Embrapa Hortaliças
PRODUTO
PARTICIPAÇÃO
Tomate
24%
Cebola
11%
Cenoura
9%
Brássicas
8%
Folhosas
8%
Melancia
7%
Melão
7%
Coentro
6%
Pimentão
4%
Milho doce
4%
Abóbora
2%
Pepino
2%
Abobrinha
2%
Outros
6%
Sílvio Ávila
