Embrapa plans to turn Piauí into a major fruit exporter in Brazil

The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) is committed to making Piauí an exporter of fruit. According to the state-owned company's forecast, this change may occur within four years. The idea is to repeat the example of what has already been done in other parts of the Northeast Region, such as, for example, in Bahia, Pernambuco, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte. Based in Teresina, capital of Piauí, Embrapa Meio-Norte has already started to implement a technology transfer and innovation project in fruit growing: ProFruti. Four production centers in the state are in the project. They are strategically distributed in the north, south-central and southeastern regions of the state. Through the initiative, the goal is to increase productivity and fruit production by at least 30%. Thus, regional development should be positively impacted by around 10%. Valdemício Ferreira, a researcher at Embrapa, stated that the areas are being prepared for the installation of technological ...