Between May 30 and June 11, a delegation of 23 people, including cooperative members and internal staff, took part in the International Technical Tour promoted by Agrária. The activity is carried out annually and in 2024 the focus will be on three European countries: Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. “We try to offer the member of the cooperative the opportunity to visit different countries on each Technical Trip, places where we can deepen our knowledge of winter grain cultivation and fruit and vegetable production”, explained the Vice President of the Cooperative , Manfred. Majowski, explaining the selection of the itinerary.
During their stay in Europe, the group visited breeding companies, research centers, agricultural cooperatives, machinery companies and properties that focus on the cultivation of onions, beets, barley and wheat. Among the places visited were the Pilsner Urquell brewery facilities, in the Pilsen region of the Czech Republic, birthplace of the beer style of the same name.
On Austrian territory, participants met with STAMAG, a company belonging to the German group IREKS, which produces malt and bakery products, and a cooperative of hop producers. In addition, the group participated in tourist attractions that presented the history of the countries visited.
For member Gustavo Grocoske Küster, the high productivity shown on the symptoms and the low disease rate in the crops attracted attention. “I became very interested in hop farming. I believe it can be implemented in our region due to varieties adapted to our climate, mainly to make small producers viable”, he said.
The agronomist Tiago Bombardelli highlighted the administrative organization of local cooperatives, the topography of the areas, most of which are flat, and the technology used in grain cultivation. “In terms of genetics, Agrária already has research partnerships that look for cultivars that make life easier for members by giving better quality to the grains. In terms of equipment, European farmers have machines that are better than ours. It is not something that depends exclusively on us, but we can charge companies to offer more efficient machines at a more affordable cost”, he said.
(With advice)