A strong productive sector focused on the foreign market. This is one of Santa Catarina’s secrets. With only 1.12% of the Brazilian territory, the state is an international reference in health and agricultural quality – a status that brings the products of Santa Catarina to the most competitive markets in the world. From January to November 2018, agribusiness accounted for 66% of the total exports from Santa Catarina, with a turnover of US $ 5.4 billion.
“Agriculture plays a key role in economic growth in Santa Catarina. Agribusiness represents 29% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Santa Catarina and 60% of this value comes from the production of animal protein. This year we had important results, “says governor Eduardo Pinho Moreira.
In 2018, Santa Catarina not only maintained its agribusiness exports, but also increased the international presence of its products. The growth rate of international trade in the agricultural sector is higher than in other sectors of the economy. While the state’s exports increased 4.8% compared to the eleven months of 2017, agribusiness sales abroad increased by 6.6%.
According to the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Fisheries, Airton Spies, the expectation is that the sector will continue to grow. “In October we had three international missions visiting Santa Catarina. Technicians from South Korea, Mexico and Canada came to the state with the possibility of qualifying new plants for export and opening new markets. “
Investments
In 2018, the State Government will end the year with R $ 700 million invested in agricultural research, rural extension, agricultural defense and development.
Investments in agricultural health and a constant focus on excellence make Santa Catarina the only state in the country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, as well as a classical swine fever free zone recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health.
The state was the first place in the world to implement the compartmentalization of cutting poultry, certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MPLS), and implemented at Seara Alimentos in Itapiranga. Compartmentalization works by mapping and isolating aviaries and slaughterhouses, as a closed system, and is a guarantee of animal health and food safety.
Santa Catarina is now working on its next competitive advantage: eradicating brucellosis and tuberculosis in herds. The state already has the lowest prevalence of diseases in the country and continues to indemnify rural producers for the slaughter of contaminated animals. From February to December this year, the State Fund for Animal Health (Fundesa) invested more than R $ 4 million in compensation for 348 farmers.
With 95 thousand km², Santa Catarina reserves one third of its territory covered by native vegetation, being two thirds of the territory occupied by the cities and the rural area. In a small space, the state can be Brazil’s sixth largest economy and the country’s fifth largest agricultural and livestock economy. “Thanks to public policies, in partnership with the private sector and the productive sector, the state of Santa Catarina is considered an efficient and sustainable model of agriculture,” said Secretary Spies.
Future
The state is preparing for another record harvest. In several regions, Santa Catarina will have an average corn yield of 10 tons per hectare – the highest productivity in the country. According to Airton Spies, this is the result of the Terra-Boa Program and the work of producers who are increasingly investing in technology.
Thinking about future agriculture is one of the challenges of the Technological Innovation Center for Family Agriculture (NITA). The Nucleus acts as a link between startups, small and medium-sized developers of innovations and the organized productive chains of farmers. The World Bank is the great supporter of this project and Santa Catarina represents Latin America in a list of eight initiatives like this one around the world.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.