River Irrigation

Irrigation water is pumped year around from the Rio Grande river via four 250-horsepower electric pumps. Pumping capacity of the four pumps is 1.2 thousand cubic meters per hour.

The water is pumped through a 2.65km long, 36-inch steel tube to a shallow canal system that carries the water to six pivot pumping stations. From there, water is pumped via electric power to the center pivot heads.  

Crop Sequences

PM cleared the land in the rainy season of 1998-99. He planted edible beans in May 1999 as the first crop. At harvest, the beans yielded 66 sacks per ha, about 3 times the average dryland yields in the area.

After edible beans, PM planted upland rice which was harvested in late March 2000 (see photo). Yield was 80 to 118 sacks per ha.

After harvest, 120 kg/ha of 20-0-20 was applied to the cut rice and the rice was left to re-grow for a second harvest. The second cutting of rice harvested about 40 days after the first cutting yielded 35 to 68 sacks/ha. The average yield of both rice crops combined on all pivots was 144 sacks/ha.

After the second cutting of rice, PM planted edible beans in June 2000. The beans were harvested in October, yielding an average of 51 sacks/ha. After the beans were harvested, PM planted corn which was harvested in March 2001. Corn yield was 160 sacks/ha. After the corn was harvested, PM planted edible beans, then rotated soybeans and corn.

Cotton was first planted in December 2002 and was picked in July 2003, yielding an average of 410 arrobas/ha (the equivalent of 2,255 pounds lint/acre or 4.5 bales/acre). Since 2003, during the rainy season all of the irrigated area has been in cotton. Average yields have been in the range of 400 arrobas/ha (equivalent to 2200 pounds lint per acre).

Irrigated Yields and Returns

Yields of PM's crops on newly opened irrigated land are significantly higher than those on newly opened dry land. While one factor is the availability of additional water, a major reason for better yields is the accelerated soil biochemical reactions that take place throughout the year. On dryland, these reactions essentially stop during the dry season. On average, soil fertility enhancement is three to six times faster on irrigated land than on dryland.

Less than two years after launching the project, PM harvested five crops--two crops of edible beans, two crops of upland rice and one crop of corn. The returns from the five crops were sufficient to pay off his total investment in the land, the irrigation system and the farm infrastructure (roads, buildings, etc.).

Shift to Corn/Cotton Rotation

Net profits from cotton in the 2002/2003 crop year were exceptional and PM has used a cotton/corn rotation since then--growing cotton during the rainy season and corn during the dry season. Although his corn yields are not significantly higher than dryland corn, this rotation lets him harvest corn at the peak of the annual corn price cycle. As a result, his returns from corn are often double those of dryland corn.

Irrigated Agriculture Profitable and Expanding

The PM river-irrigated operation is highly profitable. That well-irrigated operations are also profitable is evidenced by the purchase of large tracts of land in Western Bahia by Brazilian and foreign firms. These firms are drilling wells to produce irrigated cotton, coffee and other high-value crops. The estimated outlay for a turnkey 100 ha pivot system is around US$350,000 including the cost of virgin land, land clearing, pivot and infrastructure (see irrigated agriculture). Irrigated agriculture is the future of the dry, lower rainfall areas of Western Bahia and the future has arrived.