By Bill Lavender
Situated in the state of Tocantins, near the city of Lagoa da Confusão, I visited an interesting ag-aviation operation. Precisa Aeroagrícola, Ltda. is owned and operated by husband and wife team Hoana Almeida Santos and Flávio Cunha Lemos Filho.
The company’s roots started with Hoana and her first husband, Jorge Alberto Gomes Lindemaier. The company became Precisa Aero Agricola, Ltda in April 2006. In those early years, the aircraft were flown from Hoana’s family farm, where Hoana and Jorge built an airstrip. Unfortunately, Jorge passed away two years later due to medical reasons. It was then that Hoana took over the company, facing several hurdles due to prejudice, since the industry, at the time, was mostly male. But even in the face of many adversities, Hoana proved she could overcome any challenge.
The company became a new model from then on, focusing on a non-stop drive for knowledge and better customer service.
In 2016, Hoana married again to agronomist Flávio Cunha Lemos Filho, who years later became a partner at Precisa, and since then, they have stayed together in the quest to improve customer service by adapting to new technologies, investing in employee training and developing a more humane environment in the company, as the couple believes that a competitive company is one that understands the value of teamwork. Although neither Hoana nor Flávio are agricultural pilots, they work together to manage its daily operations and finances.
Precisa covers over 150,000 hectares during a season. The business continued to grow. In early 2022, the company bought a new AT-402B from DP Aviação. By mid-July, in the first 70 days of flying, the AT-402B logged over 375 hours.
Flávio explained, “Since we bought the 402, everyone likes it very much; its pilot, the company employees and, importantly, our clients are very satisfied with it. Because of the 402, we have been able to expand the company. In March and April of 2022, it was flown to Maramhão State to treat cotton. This was the first time the company treated cotton, and it was because of the 402.”
Rice is the major crop treated by Precisa, making up 90% of all applications by the company. Between the rice season, other crops are treated, making up the remaining 10%; corn, watermelons, soya and beans. Typically, from November to May are the months of the rice season. Treating other crops occurs from May to September. October is considered the off-season month when maintenance is done, and everyone rests for the upcoming busy months.
Presently, Precisa operates one AT-402B with a PT6A-15AG and two Ipanemas, an EMB-202A and a 201A. These aircraft operate from their primary 800-meter runway. Precisa also uses an additional 20-25 airstrips to be closer to the fields they are treating. Often, animals cross runways near Bananal, an island on the Araguaia River in the southwest of Tocantins. It is the second-largest river island in the world, covering over 19,000 square kilometers.
All Precisa aircraft are outfitted with Travicar GPS units and nozzles. Application rates are 20-30 liters per hectare for fungicide, herbicide and insecticide applications. Some growers request Zanoni rotary atomizers. This application rate is 10-15 liters per hectare for the rotary atomizers, and are only used for insecticide applications.
STOL dry spreaders are used to apply fertilizers. For rice, the application rate is typically 80 kilograms per hectare for three applications of 30-0-20 ammonium sulfate or 46% urea, depending on the fertilizer’s cost and the request of the agronomist. STOL spreaders are also used to apply cover crops on soya.
In its 17-year history, Precisa has stood out in the agricultural sector for its excellence in aerial spraying services. Hoana observes that each member of the Precisa team is 100% engaged in the daily effort to keep customers pleased.
Hoana is well-liked by Precisa’s growers, says Flávio, and she does an excellent job dealing with them. Precisa’s clients like working with Hoana, and so do her colleagues in agricultural aviation. Hoana is also the first woman to sit on the SINDAG Board of Directors in its 32 years since it was founded, and now she is the first woman to serve as the President of SINDAG.
