Brazilian experience in the area of irrigation has attracted international interest. In the period from June 28 to July 5, two representatives from Mozambique will undertake a visit to Brazil in order to gather information to assist in structuring their National Institute of Irrigation (INIR). The agency will be responsible for coordinating and promoting the development of irrigation activities in the African country. The visit will be coordinated by the National Irrigation Secretary (Senir) of the Ministry of National Integration and by Codevasf.

Among the planned activities the delegation from Mozambique will visit the Itiúba Perimeter Irrigation system, located in Porto Real do Colégio (Alagoas) in the lower reaches of the São Francisco valley, next Monday (July 2). With 227 family plots distributed on 894 hectares of irrigable area, the Alagoas perimeter’s main crops are rice and sugar cane.

The Senador Nilo Coelho perimeter irrigation system, situated between the Municipalities of Casa Nova (Bahia) and Petrolina (Pernambuco) will also be visited by the group next Wednesday (July 4). With nearly 19,000 hectares of irrigable area, the area is known internationally for the cultivation of grapes. To put this into perspective, according to the Wine Institute of the São Francisco Valley, six companies are currently installed who produce around 7 million liters of wine a year in an area of 700 hectares. The Valley is already considered to be the second largest producer of fine wines in Brazil, representing 15% of the national market. The region also produces mango, banana, guava, coconut and cherries.