THE CULTIVATION OF UPLAND RICE (Oryza sativa L.): PORANGATU, GOIÁS

Abstract

The history of upland rice cultivation (Oryza sativa L.) in Porangatu - GO has relationship between the opening of new frontiers and modernization of agriculture in the accelerated economic development project of the federal government in the 1960s to 1980s. Just as the entire Alto Tocantins Microregion received incentives for opening land in the Cerrado. Farmers faced numerous challenges arising from the soil, climate, incipient local structure and little knowledge of the occupied region. With the support of Banco do Brasil and later with the arrival of Emater (Company of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension) received specialized guidance from engineers and agricultural technicians to achieve results with rice growing. It is noteworthy that they were attracted to the micro-region by the low land prices, financial support of programs such as PROTERRA and PROAGRO, they argue that they received technical guidance from the Goiás Agricultural Research Company (Emgopa) and the Technical Assistance and Extension Company Goiás State (Embrapa). From 1980, the municipality of Porangatu began its peak productivity. In 1982, it became a national benchmark in terms of productivity and from that same year onwards, it held a celebration called the “Rice Festival”. In 1986, credit lines aimed at local agriculture are suspended and the decline of rice planting on a large scale disappears, as well as the traditional cultures of the sertanejos. To carry out this research, the analysis of different documentation was used, in addition to oral research with farmers, agronomists and agricultural technicians.