On the margin of the Jacuí River, in the
centralregioninRioGrandedoSul,Cachoei-
ra do Sul was once widely acknowledged as
thenational rice capital. Over thepast years,
nonetheless, theagricultural vocationof the
farmers has been migrating. The low val-
ue of the cereal compared to the attractive
prices of soybean in the international mar-
ket has been prompting significant chang-
es in the arable areas. In the past crop year,
Cachoeira was the second-biggest soybean
producer in the State, coming only after Tu-
panciretã, located in theNortheast regionof
the State. The perspective for the 2016/17
growing season is for the top position.
According to the president of the Ru-
ral Union,
Paulo Afonso Schwab
, Cachoei-
ra do Sul comprises 370 thousand hectares,
and a huge portion of this area is suitable to
agribusiness operations. Other advantages
for the sector include soil quality and abun-
dance of water, factors that encourage the
More soybean
inthe ricecapital
use of irrigation systems for better produc-
tive results. “I imagine that, in the future,
on the grounds of our availability of water
resources, we will be able to implement
huge irrigated stretches, paving theway for
other agricultural activities”.
In apromising scenario, soybean emerg-
es in the fields asoneof thebest alternatives
for farmers’ income. In 2016, the projection
is for a planted area of 150 thousand hect-
ares, against 30 thousand hectares of rice.
Now, many traditional rice fields are seed-
ed with soybeans, by virtue of the higher
remuneration. “Soybean has spread uni-
formly across the entire municipality. The
crop only stays away from very low areas
and systematized rice fields, where planting
ismorecomplex,becauseofexcessivemois-
ture levels”, explains the farmer.
Accordingtotheofficial,soybeanhasim-
proved the fields in the municipality, favor-
ing integrated crop-livestock farming sys-
tems. Of the 140 thousand hectares planted
with soybean in 2015, 120 thousand hect-
ares were seeded with oats and perenni-
al ryegrass after oilseed harvest, and trans-
formed into animal protein. Our agriculture
and livestock operations are getting stron-
ger and stronger, and the credit goes to soy-
bean. This crop has enriched our soil greatly
and improved our production operations”,
heponders. After soybeanharvest, as a rota-
tionalternative,somefarmersoptforinvest-
ing inwinter crops, like corn.
New alternatives
AtWachholz FarmShop, in the district of Faxinal daGuardinha, diversification is the stra-
tegic word. Rice farmer and cattle breeder for more than 30 years, Carlos Augusto Mernak
Wachholz started planting soybean seven years ago. “The cost of producing rice was very
high and profits were low. Then, I had to find alternatives”, he explains. One of the practices
and considered to be strategic at the farm is crop rotation in lowland areas, directly benefit-
ing rice farming, as this technique cleans and improves the soil.
Braford cattle raiser, Wachholz transformed the oilseed into an ally in his cattle farming
operations, reaping very positive results. “I grow soybean in summer and I manage to get
cheaper andmoreefficient pastureland inwinter. Thebenefits showin theperformanceand
qualityof theanimals “, heargues. In the farmer’s view, people in thecountrysidecannot not
afford not to pursue new alternatives when it comes to boosting their profits. “It is the right
track if wewant to survive in our activities”, he concludes.
Sílvio Ávila
Inor Ag. Assmann
ThemunicipalityofCachoeiradoSul, traditional
ricegrowinghub, emergesasoneof thelargest
soybeanproducers inRioGrandedoSul
78
CACHOEIRADESOJA
Plenty of soybean
Evoluçãoprodutiva da oleaginosa
emCachoeira do Sul
(estimativa)
Fonte:
IBGE – Produção Agrícola Municipal
(PAM) e Levantamento Sistemático da
Produção Agrícola (LSPA).
Ano Área plantada Produção
(hectares)
(toneladas)
2010
50.000
126.000
2011
55.000
158.400
2012
95.520
123.152
2013
127.000
289.692
2014
130.500
352.350
2015
138.000
350.100
2016
140.000
437.340
