Brazil opens its border during the 2nd harvest with “emerging crops”

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The interest in this new crop has an explanation: it is used as a raw material in the production of biofuels, in particular sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), for which global demand is growing.

The progress of carinata is not isolated: alongside other cultivars, such as sorghum, sesame, hops and canola, the oilseed is part of the group of “emerging crops”.

They can be planted during the second harvest — which takes place in March, with a harvest between June and July —, following the production of soybeans and corn during the first harvest — planted in the South region; Most of the national corn production also occurs during the second harvest, in the Cerrado.

The strength of the second harvest

The possibility of planting a second crop, offered by the tropical climate, is one of the main differentiators of Brazilian agriculture.

The country has 80 million cultivable hectares – an area equivalent to that of Turkey – because it produces all year round, using the same surface area several times, unlike countries in the northern hemisphere which produce nothing in winter and therefore only use the surface area once.

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— During the second harvest, the farmer can plant new crops, diversifying his production, seeking new sources of income and turning the soil. The second harvest is a new agricultural frontier, without the need to deforest to increase production — explains Bruno Laviola, agronomist and researcher at Embrapa Energia.

Soybeans occupied 47 million hectares in the 2024/2025 harvest and are expected to occupy around 49 million hectares in the current harvest, 2025/2026, according to Conab, the public enterprise of the Ministry of Agriculture. First harvest corn will occupy 4 million hectares. There are therefore more than 50 million hectares that can be occupied during the second harvest.

“I met Carinata in Argentina,” says producer

Producer Jonis Santo Assmann cultivates 15,000 hectares of soybeans and corn in the towns of São Gabriel d’Oeste and Bandeirantes, in Mato Grosso do Sul. In recent years, he has also started planting sorghum to diversify. Sorghum is used to make animal feed, but also in the production of ethanol. This year, for the first time, Assmann planted carinata, on 700 hectares.

— I met Carinata during a trip to Argentina. I got interested and planted it this year. In one area, I harvested 25 bags per hectare, in another, 12 bags. In 2026 I will plant in March again. It’s an alternative income, says the farmer.

Nufarm, a global company of Australian origin, has led the introduction and development of carinata cultivation in the country.

Philipp Herbst Minarelli, head of canola and carinata for Brazil and Paraguay at the multinational, explains that researchers have made genetic improvements to canola and that this development has been used in carinata. With an average cycle of 130 to 150 days, oilseeds are one of Nufarm’s bets to supply the biofuels and SAF market.

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— 12 years ago we started testing in Argentina and Uruguay. From 2021, in Brazil and Paraguay. In Brazil, we saw productivity increase as cultivation progressed in the country — explains Herbst, adding that this year, producers were interested in cultivating 300,000 hectares.

As it was the first time that the seed was planted on Brazilian soil, only 30,000 hectares were cultivated by 129 producers, to observe its performance. In some cases, productivity reached 44 bags per hectare. Nufarm purchases all carinata production for oil processing.

According to Herbst, some producers were left at “zero to zero”, but there were cases of farmers with almost R$5,000 net margin per hectare. The executive also claims that Nufarm plans to set up an oil factory here:

— We do not want Brazil to be just an exporter of raw materials, but an exporter of finished products.

Sorghum is used for animal feed and ethanol

Sorghum, a cereal resistant to dry climates and poor soils, is also beginning to appear as an option for diversifying ethanol production, in addition to being used in the manufacture of animal feed. Sorghum was planted in states like Goiás and Minas Gerais, but also in Mato Grosso do Sul.

Embrapa’s Laviola notes that plants making ethanol from sorghum are starting to appear in Maranhão and Bahia.

Following the tropicalization of cultivars carried out by Embrapa, wheat plantations also developed in the Cerrado, a region hotter and drier than the south of the country – which still concentrates national production. Wheat, Laviola says, is also starting to be used in ethanol manufacturing.

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In Mato Grosso, in recent years there has been an increase in the area planted with sesame, which now reaches 600,000 hectares. The oil from the seeds has the properties necessary for biodiesel production, but the Brazilian crop has proven profitable when exported, without processing, to China, where the seed is highly valued in food.

— Corn does not tolerate it, but sesame adapts to warmer and water-deficient areas — explains Laviola.

Rio Grande do Sul is the largest producer, but canola cultivation is also beginning to emerge in Cerrado, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and even Minas Gerais.

Three years ago there were 50,000 hectares and this year the planted area increased to 220,000 hectares. During the next harvest, it should reach 300,000 hectares.

Canola cultivation is driven by the food market — canola oil is edible, unlike carinata oil, which cannot be consumed — but it is also intended for the production of biofuels, including SAF.

Brazil imports 99% of the hops it consumes

Another emerging crop, but still looking to expand, is hops, used in brewing beer. In 2023, according to the most recent data available, 113,000 hectares were cultivated and production increased last year.

The hop flower gives the aroma and flavor to beer, but Brazil, one of the world’s largest producers of the drink, imports 99% of what it uses in its breweries.

Here, more than 100 hop growers use artificial light to simulate brighter days, as the plant is adapted to the summer of the planet’s northernmost regions, marked by long days.

— It is hot in Brazil almost all year round, which is good for the plant. The fact is that hops need long days, with 15 to 16 hours of light. Here, producers use artificial lighting and deceive the plant — explains Felipe Francisco, agronomist and technical secretary of the Brazilian Association of Hop Growers (Aprolúpulo).

For Luciane Chiodi Bachion, partner and senior researcher at Agroicone, a consulting firm focused on agri-food, emerging crops, particularly those used in biofuels, are becoming very important in the energy transition. Brazil already dominates this technology, with a focus on ethanol, which uses large-scale consolidated production, such as sugar cane and corn, she recalls: