Luiz Girão Institute promotes forage palm cultivation for dairy farmers in Ceará, Brazil

Instituto Luiz Girão, the social arm of Betânia Lácteos, invests in promoting the cultivation of forage palm in Ceará among small and medium-sized producers as an alternative that ensures greater sustainability in the Sertão. Despite the great benefits, such as adapting to drought periods and providing water and energy for the herd, palm is still not a widespread forage in the state, in part due to the high costs of the initial investment needed to start cultivation on small farms, with an estimated budget of R$ 25 to 35 thousand per hectare. In this sense, the Institute continues the initiatives initiated by Betânia Lácteos since 2016, when the Palma Modules pilot project included 16 producers with rackets for growing palm. The following year, the Federal More Healthy Milk program assisted another 17 producers who are partners of the brand. With the Institute, in 2020, a third group of 15 producers was benefited, totaling 48 producers and 6 thousand m² of area in the last five ...