Paraná’s Southwest Targets State Leadership in Milk Production
The southwestern region of Paraná is seeking to expand its daily milk output from approximately 600,000 litres to 1m litres. That target would put it first among the state’s dairy regions. The assessment was presented by Aryzone Mendes de Araújo, a director of the Association for Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Francisco Beltrão and president of the municipality’s Rural Union and Animal Health Council.
Araújo also heads Paraná’s Jersey Cattle Nucleus. He discussed the region’s dairy industry alongside Edgar Behne, vice-president of the Francisco Beltrão association, and Névio Úrio, who represents Cesul. The southwestern basin currently ranks fourth in Paraná by production.
The area has about 24 medium-sized dairy farmers and roughly 45 small producers. Araújo said milk production was increasing in every municipality in the southwest, describing the movement among municipalities as “healthy competition”. A dedicated line of credit from Banco do Brasil is available to finance the milk-production chain.
The region’s dairy expansion contrasts with developments in northern Paraná. There, farmland is being redirected towards crops including soy, and dairies in the north are already obtaining milk from Santa Catarina to meet demand. Araújo said that in the southwest, “whoever produces milk has the milk sold”.
Pricing is also being addressed through Conseleite, a state organisation that brings together representatives of Faep, the Federation of Agriculture of Paraná, and Sindileite, the state dairy-industry union. Araújo is the southwest’s only representative in the organisation. Through that role, he secured Francisco Beltrão’s inclusion in a series of Conseleite symposia on its minimum milk-price policy.
Faep and Sindileite hired the Federal University of Paraná at the end of last year to study the dairy market and establish a reference price. The calculation is based on an analysis of 14 items. The Francisco Beltrão symposium is scheduled for February 18, a Tuesday; its venue had not been fully confirmed, although the Espaço da Arte was expected to host it. Ponta Grossa, Guarapuava, Maringá and Ivaiporã are also on the state presentation schedule.
