The Banana Field Day, held last Thursday in Guaratuba, on the coast of Paraná, brought together farmers, associations, technicians and leaders to discuss, with practical activities and lectures, ways to develop fruit growing. Actions by the State Agriculture System were presented to strengthen the sector, such as investments in infrastructure, cooperativism, research and rural extension.
One of the initiatives is the paving of 4.5 kilometers of rural roads in Guaratuba, through the program Estradas da Integração, run by the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Supply (Seab). Paving will improve the transport of inputs, materials, production flow, flow of inhabitants and tourists, in addition to collaborating with soil and water management, reducing erosion problems.
Other actions involve the work of the Paraná Iapar-Emater Rural Development Institute. “Our commitment is to bring together research, extension, promotion and technology to make a difference. Bananas and fruit growing in general are important for the state, and we want to support, help producers produce and sell them,” said the Institute's CEO, Natalino Avance de Souza.
In 2020, Paraná produced 171,000 tons of bananas, generating a Gross Production Value of R$ 175 million, according to the Department of Rural Economy (Deral). Banana was the second fruit in terms of volumes harvested (13.9%) and the fifth in terms of gross income (9.3%).
Source: abrafrutas.org