Sicoob SC/RS Leads Rural Credit Expansion in Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina's rural producers benefited from a substantial R$ 6.5 billion in credit during the 2025/26 harvest season, a pivotal change facilitated by the Plano Safra initiative. The Sicoob SC/RS cooperative emerged as a leader in credit distribution, surpassing Banco do Brasil by allocating resources exceeding R$ 6.2 billion.
In the entire operational area of Sicoob SC/RS, rural credit operations reached R$ 12.6 billion for the 2025/26 season, representing a 33% increase compared to the previous cycle. Specifically, R$ 5.6 billion was allocated to Pronaf, reflecting a 24% growth, R$ 3.4 billion to Pronamp with a 25% increase, and R$ 3.6 billion to other rural producers, marking a significant 61% rise.
The distribution of credit highlighted a strong focus on family agriculture, which accounted for 84% of the beneficiaries, while business agriculture made up 16% of the operations. The financing extended across various modalities, with cost operations totaling R$ 5.1 billion, a 14% rise, and investments reaching R$ 3.3 billion, a 45% increase aimed at modernizing properties and enhancing production capacity.
Additional credit lines, including those for industrialization, commercialization, and the Cédula de Produto Rural Financeira (CPRF), saw a total contracted volume of R$ 6.9 billion. Within these categories, industrialization experienced a remarkable 219% growth, commercialization advanced by 56%, and the CPRF recorded a 24% increase. Credit for agricultural and livestock activities rose by 58% compared to the previous harvest.
Throughout the cycle, more than 67,000 rural credit operations were conducted, benefiting over 32,000 cooperative members. Rodinei Munaretto, the Business Director of Sicoob Central SC/RS, highlighted that the results reflect the institution's expanded participation in various financing lines and strengthened relationships with producers.
The growth aligns with a broader trend in Brazilian rural credit, with cooperatives contributing to 25% of the nation's operations by April 2026, up from 13% a decade earlier, according to Banco Central's Sicor data. As the 2026/27 harvest begins, Sicoob aims to continue this growth trajectory, projecting R$ 70 billion in national financing, with R$ 14 billion targeted for the Sicoob SC/RS operational area.
