The Southern Brazilian Milk Alliance presented yesterday (1/4) to the Secretary of Agriculture of Santa Catarina, Valdir Colatto, a plan to stimulate the dairy chain in the State, which is the fourth largest producer in the country. The strategy involves improvements in logistics, reduction of activity costs and qualification of producers.
The alliance's general coordinator, Airton Spies, says that, with the stagnation of national production and the lack of competitiveness in the foreign market, the segment is going through a delicate moment. “Only the domestic market does not allow us to grow. We need to export,” he said. The entity wants to expand the consumer market by including powdered milk, whey powder, cheese and butter in the export list.
Colatto promised that the government will give all the necessary support to remove the obstacles. "With neighboring states, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, we are going to try to place milk on the export agenda in the south of the country," he said.
In Santa Catarina, milk production directly involves 70,000 families. Of this total, 24 thousand supply the product to more than 130 industrial units installed in the State.
Currently, of the 15 Brazilian municipalities that produce more milk per square kilometer, ten are in Santa Catarina: São João do Oeste, Tunápolis, Nova Erechim, Marema, Braço do Norte, Princesa, Cunhataí, Iporã do Oeste, Santa Helena and Itapiranga.