The 2025/26 rice harvest in Santa Catarina is progressing, but in an environment of strong economic pressure for the sector. According to estimates from the Santa Catarina Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company (Epagri), approximately 60% of the roughly 143,000 hectares planted had already been harvested by the second half of March. The figures indicate an average productivity of approximately 8.5 tons per hectare and an estimated production of around 1.2 million tons, a reduction of approximately 5% in productivity and 6.1% in total volume compared to the previous harvest, which was a record for the state. Although the figures remain among the highest averages in recent years, the current cycle is occurring within a context of crisis in the rice market, marked by falling prices and the maintenance of high production costs. The result is a scenario of pressured profitability which, according to the Santa Catarina Rice Industry Union (SindArroz-SC), worries producers and industries and raises an alert for planning the next harvest. According to the president of SindArroz-SC, Walmir Rampinelli, the farmers who planted, cultivated, and harvested the rice faced high production costs to maintain its quality this season. “Even so, at the time of sale, the grain will be sold for a lower price, which does not compensate for the effort of working in the field. We see the difficulties that farmers have been going through, but we, from the union, have been working to strengthen our chain. The stronger the farmer is, the better for the industry and for the consumer,” he emphasizes. :: Expected Productivity According to Epagri's crop estimates, this harvest will be on average among the highest harvests of the last three years. “The productivity outlook is good, as this is the third harvest in which the SCSBRS126 Dueto seed has stood out with the best productivity results in the region,” says agronomist Douglas George de Oliveira, irrigated rice specialist at Epagri. In the planting areas of farmer and agronomist Samuel Silveira Zanoni, there was good productivity, and he estimates a yield of 195 sacks per hectare, in a total cultivated area of 120 hectares in Nova Veneza and Forquilhinha. On the other hand, one of the biggest difficulties faced this harvest was the high investment in pesticides for weed control, as well as the cost of fertilizers. :: Projection for the 26/27 harvest In addition to the negative financial effects on the entire chain, Zanoni believes that managing the areas in this 25/26 harvest was also a mental challenge. “This harvest had a very big psychological challenge, because you were planting and the price was falling, and that's discouraging. You're dedicating yourself, and the business is worth less and less,” he emphasizes. The farmer states that if rice continues at this low price level, with increases in fuel and fertilizers used in farming, the 26/27 harvest will be even worse. “We are currently harvesting, but the planning for the next crop is already done; however, we don't know how much we will invest in the next crop. On one hand, you are happy with the average yields achieved, and on the other, you are concerned about what we will do next time,” he points out. The irrigated rice specialist from Epagri also confirms that, if the negative effects persist, there may be a lack of capital for planting the 26/27 crop. According to him, the increase in the cost of inputs, such as fertilizers and diesel, driven by the war, adds to the decapitalization of producers, already affected by the low profitability of the current crop. As a consequence, many are expected to reduce investments in the next crop. “If this materializes, we may have a compromise in the 26/27 crop,” Oliveira concludes.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.