A grape
Irrigated projects in Vale do São Francisco
produced 20%more grapes and fetched a
gross value of R$ 895 million, up 42% in 2015
Viticulture is an activity that stands out
from all the other public irrigation projects
(PPI) of the São Francisco and Parnaíba Val-
ley Development Company (Codevasf ),
headquartered in Brasília (DF). The pos-
itive result stems from the excellent quali-
ty of the grapes, besides the chance for two
crops a year. The quality levels, for the most
part, take advantage of the favorable eda-
phoclimatic conditions of the region.
In the projects run by the Codevasf, 251
thousand tons of grapes were harvested in
2015, up 20% from the volume of the previ-
ous year. The planted area also rose to 6,140
hectares, up8% fromthe area in2014. Average
performance reached 42.84 tons of grapes
per hectare in 2015, outstripping the 42.53
tons of the previous year. The higher produc-
tivity rates resulted into a 20-percent bigger
crop, as the planted area had gone up by 8%.
The Gross Production Value (GPV)
amounted to R$ 895 million in 2015, up
almost 42% from the value of the previous
year. The average variable cost remains at R$
48,000.00 per hectare, with a gross income
of about R$ 140,000.00 per hectare, accord-
ing to Codevasf sources. Although fetching
a high margin, the main cost lies in the es-
tablishment of the orchard, which in the first
year reaches R$ 120,000.00 per hectare.
Sílvio Ávila
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