Characteristics and challenges for the production of sweet potato in Mariana Pimentel/RS.

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the production of sweet potatoes in Mariana Pimentel, the main producer of this vegetable in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Therefore, a methodology based on descriptive and exploratory analysis in two stages was used. In the first stage, a survey of the characteristics of agricultural and horticultural establishments in Mariana Pimentel was carried out based on data from the 2017 Agricultural Census. As main results, it was observed a low technological level of agricultural establishments in Mariana Pimentel, presenting limited coverage of several important factors to achieve improvements in agricultural productivity, such as technical assistance, associativism, producer education level and use of agricultural practices. Regarding the critical points of sweet potato production, marketing issue was the most highlighted among the interviewees. For producers, the sale of sweet potatoes is unstable and, without guaranteed prices and sales, many end up leaving production or not investing in improvements. Finally, the authors suggest important public actions to improve sweet potato production conditions of Mariana Pimentel.