The natural rubber crop started this year a little earlier in northwest São Paulo. The producers, who are accustomed to the beginning of production, from the bleeding of the rubber trees, only at the end of October, have been filling the mugs since September. The information is from the Paulista Association of Natural Rubber Producers and Manufacturers (Apabor). The expectation is to exceed production between 2017 and 2018, from 214 thousand tons to 231 thousand tons between 2018-2019.
The off-season of the crop that occurs in general in the months of August and September is marked by the fall of the leaves. The anticipation of the beginning of the harvest this year was due to the weather that knocked down the leaves earlier in July. Many of the rubber plantations were already covered by the end of August and the producers wereted no time, leaving everything to the beginning of production.
“The northwest of São Paulo corresponds to about 60% of the national production, had in the last harvest (2017-18) a total production of 214 thousand tons of clot. For this year 231 thousand tons are foreseen. The increase is due to the entry of new production areas, mainly planted in the years 2010 and 2011. The area planted in the State corresponds to more than half of the country, totaling 114 thousand hectares. Currently, only 60,000 hectares are in production, which means that in the coming years, more than 54,000 hectares will reach the age of bleeding, causing the Value of Natural Agriculture in the State, which currently amounts to R $ 590 million, of R $ 1 billion, “explains Diogo Esperante, communication director of Apabor.
Besides moving the market, this number also provides more income and employment in the field, because the rubber tree is one of the crops that generates more vacancies in the rural area with 1 seringueiro every 8 hectares on average.
Esperante argues that the great variation in prices, however, hampers the life of the producer. “While in the 2016-17 crop the average price was R $ 2.94 per kg, in the past crop (2017-18) it did not exceed R $ 2.23 and the projection for next season is to sail around R $ 2.20. The current minimum price of Conab is $ 2.16, but producers complain that this figure is outdated and in recent months has been meeting with Conab teams to update the worksheet. The hope is that now with a new government, the attention with the sector is better and the minimum price can be upgraded to at least R $ 2.75. ”
To discuss this scenario and the importance of culture in the national economy, Apabor will hold a lecture cycle, with national and international attractions, on Thursday (22) and Friday (23), in São José do Rio Preto.
Among the national highlights, João Sampaio (former Secretary of Agriculture of the State of São Paulo) and Dr. Paulo Gonçalvez of IAC (the largest national authority on genetic and breeding) are already confirmed. A panel organized by the Apabor Technical Committee, which visited the world’s leading research institutes this year, promises a complete picture of production technology in the world.
The international highlights are the Director of IRRDB (International Research and Development Institute for Natural Rubber), Malaysian Dr. Abdul Aziz; the Secretary General of the IRSG, International Group of Studies of Rubber, the Italian Salvatore Pinizzoto; and the chief economist of ANRPC, the Association of Natural Rubber Producer Countries, the Indian Jom Jacob. Delegations from Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Malaysia, India, the Philippines and even Japan have already confirmed their presence.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.