Apr 23, 2010
Brazil's Largest Farm Show Will Be Held Next Week
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The largest farm show in Brazil is set to be held next week with 730 exhibitors from 45 different countries. The 17th annual show, popularly known as Agrishow Ribeirao, will be held in Ribeirao Preto, which is located in the state of Sao Paulo. The exhibit area was increased 50% for the 2010 show and attendance during the five day show is expected to hit 140,000 including visitors from more than 50 different countries.
Agriculture and its related businesses are becoming an ever more important sector of the Brazilian economy. Agribusiness in Brazil accounts for 26% of the gross national product of the country and 37% of the job market and it is expected to grow even larger as the world demand for food increases. According to the United Nations, the world's food supply will need to increase 70% by the year 2050 to meet the needs of the world's increasing population. Brazilian farmers, who are completing a record large grain harvest in 2010, are expected to flock to the show to see the latest innovations in agricultural technology.
The record large harvest is causing a lot of storage problems in Brazil so there is special interest in new storages systems such as silobags. These are plastic bags that lie on the ground and serve as temporary storage for grain. These bags are very popular in Argentina and are now making their way into southern Brazil.
Irrigation is also an area of interest for Brazilian farmers especially those that farm in central Brazil where irrigation is needed to grow crops during the dry season. The Valley Irrigation Company is introducing new integrated computer system that can monitor the soil moisture and the functioning of either central pivots or linear irrigation systems and send alerts via cell phone or emails if something is not functioning properly.
Equipment manufactures usually offer special discounts for purchases made during the show and many farmers wait for the various farm shows held around the country to purchase new equipment.