‎Brazil News

The ordinances with the Agricultural Zoning of Climate Risk (Zarc), crop year 2021/2022, for the cultivation of castor bean were published in the Official Gazette this Wednesday (23). The study was updated in 2020, starting to include the updating of the crop parameters and representative cycles, inclusion of a group of short cycle cultivars, extension of the castor bean zoning to all Brazilian states, adjustment of critical criteria and limits, in addition to insertion of the auxiliary escape criterion for gray mold in regions or rainy seasons and the subdivision of Zarc Mamona Semiarid.

 

The castor bean plant has drought tolerance, and is therefore a good alternative for cultivation in dry regions of the country. The cultivation is not suitable for regions with long periods of rain, which favor the appearance of diseases such as gray mold, in addition to harming the harvest and the quality of the product.

 

The crop is commercially exploited due to the oil content in the seeds, with application in the area of ​​cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, lubricants and polymers. Traditionally cultivated by small producers in the Brazilian Northeast, it expanded to other regions of Brazil due to the incentive of the National Biodiesel Program.

 

Zarc

The zoning aims to reduce the risks related to climate problems and allows the producer to identify the best time to plant, taking into account the region of the country, the culture and the different types of soil.

 

The agrometeorological model considers elements that directly influence the development of agricultural production, such as temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, occurrence of frosts, available soil water, crop water demand and geographic elements (altitude, latitude and longitude).

 

Farmers who follow Zarc's recommendations are less subject to climatic risks and may still benefit from the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (Proagro) and the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR). Many financial agents only release rural credit for crops in zoned areas.

 

Right Planting Application

Rural producers and other agribusiness agents can access Zarc's official information through tablets and smartphones in a more practical way, facilitating guidance on the Federal Government's agricultural policy programs.