Is 2.5% of world production and 8% of world chicken sales, enough? All that is concentrated on an area of 95,318.3 km2, which represents 1.13% of Brazilian land surface.
"...although they occupy only 41% of the total area in agricultural establishments in the country, are responsible for more than 70% of the value of agricultural and fish production in the state, highlighted by 67% of bean production, 70% of corn, 80% of poultry and hogs, 83% of milk and 91% of onions.
Santa Catarina - Characteristics and Potential
Santa Catarina state is located in southern Brazil, it has an area of 95,318.3 km2, which represents 1.13% of Brazilian land surface. It is located at the center of Brazil's principal markets and those of the Mercosur countries. The state population is composed largely of European descendents, with a predominance of Portuguese, Italians and Germans.
According to IBGE (The Brazilian Census Agency) in the year 2000 the state had a population of 5,333,284 people, of whom approximately 21% live in rural areas, on nearly 203 thousand rural establishments. Due to the intense urbanization process that has taken place since the 1970s, 30% of the state population is concentrated in 8 cities which have more than 100,000 people.
The essential characteristics of the state economy are the diversity of high quality products, the state of the art technology and modern management. The productive units are distributed throughout the territory.
The industrial companies are grouped in specialized regional centers, highlighted by the ceramic tile industry, textiles, electronics, metallurgy and machinery, agricultural industries, wood and paper. There are 43,000 industrial companies, 455 are medium size and 108 are classified as large. They employ a total of 365 thousand workers.
Santa Catarina is among the Brazilian states with the highest reserves of mineral coal (2.4 billion tons), of fluorite in production (5.5 million tons) and of silex (5.8 million tons). It has the second largest reserve of quartz in the country and large deposits of ceramic clay, bauxite and semiprecious stones. There are petroleum and natural gas wells on the continental shelf and one of the world's largest reserves of potable underground water, the (Botucatu reserve), complements the privileged list of natural resources.
Santa Catarina is among the six principal state producers of foods and has one of the highest rates of productivity per area, thanks to the labor capacity and innovation of the farmers, the use of modern technology and to the family nature of more than 90% of the agricultural enterprises. The agricultural sector represents 12.8% of total state production. Agribusiness activities account for nearly 20% of state production. The 3,000 agricultural industrial establishments and agricultural-food processors alone account for 19% of state income, and employ nearly 35 thousand people.
Santa Catarina is Brazil's fifth largest exporting state (1999). It uses local raw materials or imported ones, processes and sells finished articles such as: machines and motors, wood, furniture and related products, pork and poultry meat, textiles and clothing, ceramic tiles, soybeans and soy derivatives, tobacco, paper and cardboard and fruits among others.
In the year 2000, state exports reached US$ 2,711 billion, or 4.6% of the Brazilian total. The agro-industrial complex stands out on the list of state exports, accounting for 50% of the state total. This subsector is highlighted by forest products and poultry meat and innards. Santa Catarina is the Brazilian state with the highest proportion of companies operating within ISO 9000 specifications. The principal destinations of exports are the United States, Argentina and Germany.
The state's primary sector stood out on the national scene in 2000, as the leading producer of onions, apples and pork meat; the second leading producer of chicken meat, garlic, tobacco and honey, and the third largest producer of rice and bananas. It also stands out for high productivity levels in garlic, rice, apples, pork, poultry and tobacco. The connection of this production with the agroindustrial companies in the state is the driving force of the local economy.
Santa Catarina poultry raising accounts for 2.5% of world production and 8% of world chicken sales, and is recognized in Europe, the Middle East and Japan. Poultry production in Santa Catarina is a strategic reference for poultry raising throughout the world, Brazil and Mercosur. The sector developed by copying the system of integrated partnerships between producers and industrial companies which has been established in Santa Catarina since the 1970s.
With approximately 20% of national production (1.2 million tons in 2000) poultry raising in Santa Catarina has a quality equal or superior to that obtained in many other countries with advanced poultry operations. With planned production, the companies based in Santa Catarina serve 60% of the Brazilian market and account for 70% of Brazilian exports.
Poultry raising in Santa Catarina in the past 25 years has grown from a marginal activity to one of the most important economic activities in the state. It directly employs 35 thousand people and indirectly another 80 thousand people. Meat processing is the principal activity of state agricultural production, participating with 24% of the total (R$ 1.013 billion in a state total of R$ 4.2 billion).
Santa Catarina hog raising is internationally competitive. It has the highest level of productivity in Brazil, both in the field as well as in the industrial portion. With a turnover of approximately 170%, it accounts for 0.7% of world production. It has productivity rates similar or above those of Europe and the United States. The sector accounts for 75% of Brazilian exports.
Santa Catarina has a little more than 16% of the national stock (4.5 million head) and produces more than one third of all hogs slaughtered (7.8 million head). With only 19% of the industrial stock (3.4 million head), it accounts for more than 40% of the industrial slaughters in the country (6.6 million head).
Industrial production underwent an intense process of diversification in products and markets, which guarantees the continuity of its leadership. The Brazilian hog market is concentrated in five large companies, all based in Santa Catarina. These companies account for more than 60% of the slaughters and 70% of hog sales in Brazil. In the past 10 years, new technologies were incorporated to the production process in facilities, equipment and management, with special emphasis on improved genetics of the breeding herd, hygiene and the quality of meat and by-products.
In the composition of state agricultural production, it is the second largest activity, participating in 19% of the total. It directly employs 65 thousand people and indirectly another 140 thousand people. Of total slaughters, 82% come from Integrated Systems. Of the inspected slaughters, 90% of the hogs have the same origin. In the state, the western region accounts for 70% of the total herd and 90% of production.
With more than 561.4 kilometers of coastline, the state is also an important producer of fish and other seafood, being the most important producer of cultivated oysters and mussels in the country.
The strong aptitude for forestry constitutes an important base of the industrial wood, paper and furniture pole. Santa Catarina is the third leading state producer of paper and cellulose in the country, with 900 thousand annual tons.
Santa Catarina farm families
Santa Catarina state has a rich and diverse natural patrimony, which contributed to defining land ownership, characterized by the predominance of family farms on small properties.
Based on classification criteria from the National Family Agriculture Program (Pronaf), it is estimated that family agriculture in Santa Catarina represents a universe of 180 thousand, families or more than 90% of the rural population. These farm families, although they occupy only 41% of the total area in agricultural establishments in the country, are responsible for more than 70% of the value of agricultural and fish production in the state, highlighted by 67% of bean production, 70% of corn, 80% of poultry and hogs, 83% of milk and 91% of onions.
In addition to these products, agricultural families are active in the production of honey, rice, potatoes, tobacco, cassava, tomatoes, bananas and a large variety of other fruits and vegetables. The state also has an important economic base in the forestry sector. |
