Some 500 producers are responsible for a new rice crop with outstanding resultsso much that productivity can set a new record when the final data is available, in a campaign with a positive balance, in a clear contrast to the meager yields in rainfed summer crops.
Alfredo Lago, president of the Rice Growers Association (ACA), after informing that the harvest was over, highlighted The Observer Unlike other years, the 2022/2023 rice harvest was characterized by the extension of this agricultural work.
It was a long harvest, one of those that began earlier (in the second week of February) and ended now, at the end of May.
Everything is due to how the incidence of the climatic factor in the development of the crop developed.
The fields initially planted last spring, where there were no difficulties, were harvested early, but there were others where complications arose and the cycle was extended.
The important thing, he commented, is that finally the risk of lost cultivated area was cleared, the grain was collected on the entire surface.
There was indeed some negative impact on productivity, but plots did not have to be abandoned due to lack of water, it was difficult to irrigate some farms, but it was managed.
The area decreased slightly compared to the previous campaign.
stand out in the world
“The result is very likely to be one of the highest, perhaps a new record, today we are seeing more than 9,500 kg/ha but some final data needs to be incorporatedFrom what we believe we will weigh 9,450 kilos, about 200 kilos more than last year and the third consecutive year above 9,000 kilos per hectarewhich is not a minor fact because in the world very few countries close the harvest at those levels,” he said.
Regarding the fundamentals of positive and sustained achievement, he said that it is necessary to take into account the weather factorwhich helped in general in these three years with the La Niña phenomenon, for a subtropical plant that demands availability of water for irrigation prior to planting and at key moments of development, high temperatures and good solar radiation.
Another aspect of high incidence is he expertise and the capacity of the rice in Uruguay, which stands out for its great efficiency in what has to do with internal porter efforts and the quality of its agricultural management.
It has also been key technological developmentconsequence of the progress in genetic research based on the rice program of the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA).
Rice harvest.
latest campaigns
Area: 159,700 hectares (164,000 hectares in the previous campaign).
Yield: 9,450 kg/ha (9,250 kilos in the previous campaign).
Volume: 1.51 million tons (1.51 million tons in the previous season).
Productive cost: US$2,200 per hectare (US$1,900 in the previous campaign).
records
205,000 hectares in 1998/1999.
9,400 kg/ha in 2020/2021.
1.63 million tons in 2010/2011.
Improvement in business abroad
The production achieved this year, in the axis of 1.5 million tonsis a volume considered “very important” by Lago, who “It will generate an interesting income of foreign currency to the country”.
Uruguay exports almost all of the rice it produces to some 60 markets.
From the rice of 2022/2023 30% has already been soldwhich is considered to be a good quantity, with prices higher than those of last year at this point, 15% in the case of paddy rice and 12% for processed rice.
Regarding destinations, half of the 30% already exported went to Europe, confirming that market as the one that has been growing the most, so much so that last season it demanded almost 40% of the total exported.
Returning to this year’s rice already negotiated, 20% went to Brazil and another relevant destination is Iraq with 12% to 13%, also Central America, especially Costa Rica and Panama have relevant volumes.
30% of the harvested rice has already been exported.
price improvement
Lago, finally, considered a key issue: the profit margin for the farmer, in a campaign that is visualized with a positive balance.
He explained that there is an improvement in productivity, not of great notoriety, but that makes a contribution.
There was, at the same time, a 15% increase in production costs and this goes hand in hand with another adverse factor, the exchange rate delay “which has a very negative effect.”
The solution to absorb an increase in the cost per hectare of just over US$ 200 lies in an increase in the price that the producer receives for the grain.
In this sense, he said that a “significantly better” value is expected than the last agreed price, which was US$ 12.27 per 50-kilo bag of dry, healthy and clean rice.
