Vaivém das Commodities: Technology advances in cotton culture, and company launches second generation of harvester

Brazil has become one of the world’s major cotton production hubs. The cultivated area grew 70% in the last five harvests; production rose 85%; and exports, reaching 2.1 million tons per year, grew 145%.

This evolution was only possible due to the great insertion of technology in the productive system. All this represents costs, but they make the activity viable.

The statement comes from producer Sergio Pitt, who grows cotton in western Bahia. According to him, the technology guarantees productivity, process control and increased product quality.

The production process in the field is what most involves technology and service. Next—spinning and weaving—the process is much simpler, says Pitt.

The field has to live with climate, production management, use of capital, soil adequacy and the right time to plant. “It is not enough to throw the seed in the ground and wait for the quality of the product.”

The technology promoted a jump in production because it eliminated some services and reduced losses, according to the producer. Seeds, machines, quality of inputs and startups increasingly bring technology to culture.

The seeds, although expensive, help to control pests and weeds. The machines, in addition to the practicality of harvesting, allow tracking of the cotton, from production to the store, he says.

For all these reasons, cotton is a culture of high investments. Production costs per hectare range from R$15,000 to R$16,000, depending on the incidence of pests in the year, says the producer.

With an eye on this growing activity in the country, John Deere puts a new generation of cotton pickers on the Brazilian market as of May. They bring an improvement in the bale system and energy efficiency.

Efficiency will come from faster speed, lower cost and transportation gains. As a result, areas where previously the cost of transport was prohibitive will now be able to be explored, says Marcelo Lopes, sales director at John Deere Brazil.

The company promises a machine that is 20% more economical in terms of diesel consumption per ton harvested. In addition, the synchronism between rotation of the harvesting heads allows a 5% faster displacement.

In ten hours of work, the machine harvests 1.8 hectares more than the current system. Depending on the location of the crops, the harvest potential is for 40 hectares for this period.

As for the bale, it will be 5% denser, as it is pressed harder, with a 2% larger dimension.

For Lopes, the denser bale improves transport to the cotton plant. The change is more in the weight than the size of the burden.

The sales director says that the new equipment has the most technological already integrated as the factory JDLink. The producer will be able to transmit the information of all the data of operation of the machine and the agronomic data processed during the harvest to the Center of Operations (Operations Center) of the company.

Lopes highlights the need for product traceability. The technology allows the collection of geographic information and passes it on to the cotton plant. This same information accompanies the product to the stores.

With the advancement of connectivity, information becomes real-time. With this, small repair interventions are possible on the machines from a distance, avoiding greater damage and that they stop. In 2021, 85% of open calls were resolved remotely, and with 60% lower costs.

For the sales director, more and more producers, small and large, are inserted in the technological system. This makes them lose their fear of using technology and start to like it more.

Electronics brings a number of benefits. The machine adjusts the sieves to improve the harvest three times per minute. In the manual process, it was three times a day.

All this technology has a price for the producer. John Deere says the estimated cost of the machine will be $1.25 million.

Inflation in the United States, where the machines are produced, the rise in steel and the lack of components have raised production costs, says Lopes.

According to him, the new machine comes with higher costs due to new benefits and the current economic situation.

Until then, patent rights prevented others from using the company’s system. Patents started to expire, and John Deere makes improvements, with a differential for new patents, he says.