Contemporary agriculture includes services and technology in the sale of inputs, which in-turn leads to a win-win cycle.
Among the inputs used to manage a crop, are the productivity builders and proponents of this productivity. It is clear that agricultural pesticides are part of the group of productivity advocates. However, there is no point in thinking about a good defense without the correct choice of inputs to build the productive potential of the crop. In this sense, no input contributes as much to the construction of good productivity as the seed does. In addition to bringing all the technology of genetic improvement – which for years has selected the best varieties for a high productive performance – a good quality seed can only originate from a healthy and resistant plant.
So starting a crop with questionable seed, without the guarantee and quality provided by certified seed, is to jeopardize the whole agricultural year of the crop. Only by acquiring this input from a seed producer it is possible to obtain guarantees of quality and origin. These guarantees may be essential in pursuing profitability in a year with tight margins, such as the current one.
In spite of this clear fact, the number of producers who use seed of no origin or of their own use in planting their crops is still significant. Even in the face of the difficulty of producing a quality seed – something that the seed producer invests a lot of effort and capital into- there are farmers who still bet on their home grown seed production solutions, or even worse, acquire this important input from an unreliable source, that is, contraband seed.
It is worth noting that the seed marketed by a licensed seed producer, in addition to meeting all the mandatory requirements of quality and sanity, also meet the edaphoclimatic requirements of the different planting regions. This differential is not guaranteed by their own seeds nor by the contraband seeds, since they do not have a guarantee of origin and this may oblige the farmer to use late cycle varieties, which then exposes him to heavy losses due to soybean rust. Thus, one more risk can be added to the farmer who seeks false economy for his crop. The Brazilian Association of Soybean Seed Producers (ABRASS) continues to report that the use of own seed and contraband seed is a strategic mistake, considering that seed represents a cost of between 9% and 10% of the total expenses that the farmer has with a crop. That is, thinking that the use of own seeds can bring an “saving” of up to BRL 100 per hectare is a mistake, since this value certainly does not cover the risk of using inferior seeds.
Regarding contraband seed, where the “saving” is even less, the strategic risk is even greater, which also adds a legal risk, since producing, marketing and using seeds without origin is a crime punishable with hefty fines.
In addition to all that has been mentioned, it is important to highlight the differential of Industrial Seed Treatment (IST) that only certified seed has. With this new technology, the practice of early crop protection is enhanced, since the industrial processing gains efficiency when compared to “on farm” treatment.
So, as not to run the risk of having a year with tight margins, like the current one, the use of certified seeds is essential to increase the chances of the farmer having positive result in his activities. This is because, when the farmer buys certified seed, he is acquiring a product with quality, confidence and provenance.
Published in the magazine Agro DBO – 08/2017
By Leonardo Machado – Executive Secretary of ABRASS
Source: http://abrass.com.br/a-produtividade-da-lavoura-comeca-com-a-semente/
