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In Brazil, there are no clear statistical
figures about specialty corns, but it is per-
fectly visible that this niche of the supply
chain, now on the rise, is known for its
added value. The production of specialty
corns involves the cultivation of common
green corn, sweet corn, popcorn, corn
destined for the production of baby corn,
corn with a high content of oil, corn rich
in proteins and corn for canjica, among
others. In the domestic market, demand
for these alternative products has in-
duced the seed companies to invest in
the development of these types of corn.
According to researcher Israel Alex-
andre Pereira Filho, from Embrapa Corn
and Sorghum, until some time ago, the
seeds of this type of corn were imported,
and were very expensive. “Sweet corn has
sparked the interest of national seed pro-
ducing companies, which observed the
growth in demand for this type of food at
most food industries”, he says.
White corn is also a good option for
Brazilian farmers, as it is staple food in a
big number of South American and Afri-
can countries. “There are only a few spe-
cialty cultivars available at the seed mar-
ket, but, even so, there has been soaring
demand for these types of corn”, he
stresses.
The scientist regrets the fact that only
a few Brazilian companies are concen-
trating efforts towards the development
of specialty corn seeds. “If the farmers
look for the cultivars of every company,
they will find few options, and this holds
true even for the most demanded culti-
vars, like green corn, popcorn and sweet
corn”, he admits.
That is why, Embrapa Corn and Sor-
ghum and Embrapa Products and Market
are now engaged in propagating these
types of seeds, jointly with cooperative
members and some seed companies. The
expectation is for green corn seeds (BRS
3046) and sweet corn (BRS Vivi) to reach
the market in the shortest time possible.
More than special
Countless specialty corns cultivated throughout
the Country point to perspective gains for the farmers
