Course enables farmers to produce Canola

The productive and technological aspects of Canola will be discussed at the IV Course of Qualification and Diffusion of Canola Technology, which will take place on 3 and 4 March, in the auditorium of Embrapa-Trigo, Passo Fundo/RS. The event will consist of lectures and panels that will approach several aspects of the productive chain, through tillage, plague control and diseases, environmental aspects, harvest as well as production and final product sale. Therefore, the activity will join researchers, producers, rural leadership, financial agents and representatives of the companies and institutions which promote the growth of canola.

The growth of canola has gained prominence among winter crops grown in the region. According to the Coordinator of the Investment Department of BSBIOS, Agronomist Fábio Jr. Benin, a significant growth has been observed in the crop area in the last few years, which has been stimulated by real guarantees of the market in its commercialization, occupation of inactive areas in the winter and because crop rotation is an important alternative. For Benin "the course is a singular opportunity to show the positive results the producers of canola are having, besides publishing knowledge", he concludes.

In the harvest of 2009, BSBIOS promoted a total of 10.000 ha, distributed in the Northern and Northwest region of RS and SC. This area shows how important this crop has been in the region, since in 2007 BSBIOS promoted in field around 3.500 ha and in 2008, it reached 7.000 ha. Yet, it is expected a growth of 20.000 ha in RS in 2010, besides commencing the promotion works in the states of SC, PR and SP, influenced by the acquisition of the industrial plant Marialva, and that causes a even greater demand for raw-material to the production of biodiesel.

The course is sponsored by BSBIOS, DRS Biocombustíveis (Associação dos Engenheiros Agrônomos de Passo Fundo; Banco do Brasil; CMDA; Emater; Embrapa Trigo; Ministry of Agriculture, Pecuária e Abastecimento-MAPA; Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário-MDA; Prefeitura Municipal de Passo Fundo; Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Passo Fundo, Sindicato Rural de Passo Fundo, Universidade de Passo Fundo). The coordination of the event is under the researcher of Embrapa-Trigo, Gilberto O. Tomm's responsibility. The activity is opened to whom it may interest, with free and limited enrollments when the opening of the event.