From what I have seen of this, it's what Spongebob said in his first post. Someone comes around, plants your land with their trees, and comes back x years later (depending on what they are using them for) and pays you for them. However, there are some down sides to this, unless you own lots and lots of land: the trees are a pain in the ass - they attract just about every lightning bolt in the area, and burn, and they sap the earth of any nutrients, leaving it fairly dead afterwards, and in need of a good rest. That aside, there is certainly money in it, from what I have seen - a sitio I was thinking of buying had thousands of 12 month old saplings planted, and were calculating the revenue into their asking price. I didn't buy, but I note the price of the sitio is creeping up, based mostly on the revenues that will be coming soon I suspect.

Coco trees or Palm trees need watering, so you'll need to install an irrigation system, depending on where you are and the average rainfall, but they need plenty of water, they also need pruning and attention. Thats why the best ones are nearer the coastline and the shallower salty water table. They also take around 3 years to start producing from planting.

Edited by Amsterdam - 12 July 2012 at 12:55

Originally posted by agri2001 If you really want to make money, in a lazy kind of way and live close to the littoral of Brazil, is to plant coco trees. The yearly return on them is exceptional with a profit margin in the area of 40% if done right, and you dont have to wait 5 years between plantings.

Definitely the way to go if you're looking for yearly, AND continual income flow!  Given the increasing popularity of agua de coco, worldwide, replacing sports drinks such as Gatorade as a healthier alternative, there's little that can wrong with such an investment.

As discussed in an older thread, which focused specifically on agua de coco, most of the 'plantations' in Brasil are still small, family owned parcels, and lo-tech in nature.  I can't help but wonder how many actually have irrigation systems, but obviously, they're planted on or near the coast, or river flood plains/deltas, and not in the sertão.

An informative link here:  A Cultura do Coqueiro

Eucalyptus, as well as 'slash' pine (a genus imported from the southern US, and a popular timber grown here in the south of Brasil), are obviously considered commodities, and closely tied to the cycle of the construction industry.  After waiting several years for your trees to be mature enough to be harvested, you can only hope that the price of timber is at a high, and not in a slump.

However, with slash pine, there are incremental cash flow opportunities, while waiting for the trees to mature.  One needs to thin their forest every few years, so the trees can grow taller (have yet to see proper thinning done here though), and the culled trees can be sold as raw material for cellulose/pulp.  While many trees will be eventually reach maturity to be cut and sold as lumber, the ultimate goal is to produce 'pole' timber; trees harvested to be used as power and telephone poles.  Not sure if the same goal exists in Brasil....

In the southern US, one can also earn income from a yearly raking of the 'pine straw', which accumulates on the forest floor.  The 'straw' is then baled and sold at nurseries and gardening centers, to be used as an organic mulch (+/- $6 per bale).  If you happen to own a stand of pines, there are plenty of companies that will collect the pine straw, write you a check, and the only work you have to do is drive to the bank to deposit it.

Yet again, I have yet to see this be done in Brasil, meaning, a real opportunity exists here!  I rake the stuff up for free from a local forest, to use in my yard.  My neighbors just look at me as if I'm from Mars, yet they also want to know my 'secret', for why my garden looks so healthy.  They all love to rake their beds bare to the dirt (so it can bake nice and hot during summer), and/or cover them with gravel (which absorbs the summer heat as well). 



Edited by Gringo.Floripa - 12 July 2012 at 16:02

Originally posted by Amsterdam   The land doesnt go from the coastline to the sertao in the area that i live, there is an area in between called the Agreste

Ahhh, so are you that malcontent, who lives approx. 40km from Maceió, in Alagoas??? 

Originally posted by Gringo.Floripa Originally posted by Amsterdam   Edit. Also your idea of planting them along the banks of a river is ridiculous because you need thousands of palm trees to make it viable, you arent going to find that long a riverbank to do that, well not easily anyway. If you'll read more carefully, the term was river 'flood plain' or 'delta'... which encompasses more than just the bank of a river.  But thanks soooo much for the enlightening geography lesson!And yes... I have A LOT of experience in "agricultural activity"... growing my own 'herb'.  Afterall, I'm just a stoned-out surfer.

Do you deliver?