IAC launches sugarcane varieties for the Cerrado
Valor Econômico
The Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), connected to the Secretariat of Agriculture of the State of São Paulo, will launch four new cultivars of sugar cane in the end of the year, two of which are adapted for the region of the Brazilian Cerrado. Last Tuesday, the Institute of São Paulo had a day in the field in Goianésia (GO), at the headquarters of the Jalles Machado plant. This event was considered strategic for the State of São Paulo, once it will start the "export" of the sugarcane technology to the new frontiers of the country. The sugar and alcohol group Jalles Machado integrates, since 1994, the IAC project of genetic improvement of sugarcane. Other companies that made investment outside the São Paulo axis have also adhered to the program of the Institute. Only in Goiás there are 13 producer units that have joined the program. In the last years, the State registered extremely fast growth in its production of sugar cane, since large groups have announced heavy investments in "greenfield" projects in Goiás.
The researches on the varieties of sugar cane aimed at the new agricultural frontiers developed by the IAC started some years ago, explained Marcos Landell, coordinator of the sugar cane center of the Institute of São Paulo. "In 1994, the IAC redesigned its strategic program and decided to expand its network of experiments on the field", affirmed Landell. The IAC has introduced 38 varieties of sugarcane in the market since 1959, when it started developing genetic material for the sugar and alcohol sector. Of the varieties launched by the institute, seven were adapted for the Cerrado region, but none had been aimed at a specific region. Within the next two years, the IAC will have raw material specific for Goiás.
Nearly four years ago, an innovative work was also started in the west of Bahia. "Western Bahia is considered Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah), but it has a different altitude", affirmed Landell. In those regions, the new varieties of sugar cane feature great drought resistance, since the areas aimed at the planting have water restrictions. Besides Goiás and the West of Bahia, the IAC has also been developing, since 2007, researches aimed at the sugarcane fields of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Maranhão and Pará.
Overseas, the IAC has also taken more ambitious steps. According to Landell, the Institute has orders made by Mexico and Angola. "We are coordinating courses with representatives of African countries and Mexico so that they can increase their sugar and alcohol knowledge", affirmed Marcos Landell.