Rice prices are on the decline and worries growers across the country. The price of the bag increased from R $ 41.42 in 2017, to R $ 32,03 in the first week of February. In order to overcome this situation, Epagri-SC is developing the cultivar SCS123 Pearl.
The product used especially in the preparation of risottos, offers a good added value to the rice farmer since it is sold to the final consumer for amounts up to 10 times higher than those of conventional rice.
Productivity is another highlight of the new cultivar. Ester Wickert, a researcher at EEI and one of the people responsible for the work, says that risotto rices usually produce 4 tonnes per hectare. “Normally, special grains have lower productivity,” explains Ester. Meanwhile, Pérola showed an average yield of 10 tons per hectare in experiments carried out in several producing regions of Santa Catarina.
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Still this year Epagri opens public competition to select the company that will reproduce the seeds of the Pearl rice to offer interested farmers. The researcher Ester expects that in 2020 the special cultivar for risotto of Epagri will be available to consumers in Santa Catarina.