FILE - Smoke rises from a forest fire in the Transamazonica highway region, in the municipality of Labrea, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Sept. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros, File)
RIO DE JANERIO: Brazilian farmers are shaking things up, opting for a more sustainable approach to agribusiness.
Brazil reigns as the world’s top exporter of numerous agricultural commodities and a pivotal player in the global value chain, supplying enough food to feed over 1.9 billion people annually.
For the first half of 2024, the official data revealed a staggering US$82.39bil in Brazilian agribusiness exports, marking the second-highest total on record.
However, this booming sector also carries a hefty environmental burden, contributing directly to 20% of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions, a study by Boston Consulting Group showed.
Additionally, certain sectors within the agricultural chain have a historical track record of fuelling deforestation, responsible for a whopping 50% of the country’s overall emissions.
Given increasingly stringent environmental, social and governance regulations from domestic authorities and international importers, notably in the European Union, one of Brazil’s key markets, it is an inevitable shift to seek effective solutions for reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable practices.
Viet Nam News journeyed to Mato Grosso, the country’s agricultural giant state, to witness notable advancements in Brazilian agricultural activities.
After the boom of corn ethanol production in Brazil starting in 2017, corn ethanol and protein-rich livestock feed derived from the ethanol production process by-products, known as distiller’s dried grains with solubles or DDGs in the industry, are seeing rising demands.
This presents huge opportunities for local producers, with evident transformations unfolding prominently in Mato Grosso through the establishment of an integrated food and energy production system.
Applying a closed production cycle, ethanol producer Fueling Sustainability (FS) delivers its commitment to enhance sustainability practices in agribusiness.
The first corn ethanol plant in Brazil effectively managed all industrial liquid emissions, ensuring that only environmentally friendly effluents were released.
Its clients are from diverse industries, such as biofuel distributors, livestock farmers, feed manufacturers in the animal nutrition sector, and cleaning producers.
However, all of its suppliers and customers must fulfil the company’s requirements in terms of social-environmental management.
In 2023, FS maintained its A1 rating as well as a score of 62 in Moody’s sustainability rating.
ALD Bioenergia, which was founded by a group of 24 farmers in Nova Marilandia in 2019, also embodies a distinct vision for the sustained expansion of local producers.
It is a biorefinery that converts local corn into more valuable products, especially ethanol.
The plant produces nearly 113 million litres of corn ethanol for the fuel market, while offering high-protein animal feed.
It also contributes a lower amount of carbon emissions to the environment and creates jobs for the local workforce.
Macro Orozimbo F. Rosas, chief executive of ALD Bioenergia, said that the union’s system is seen as a blueprint for a more sustainable future, despite the current lack of profitability.
Nonetheless, Rosas anticipates expanding the refinery and foresees their products – corn ethanol and DDGs – entering the global market within three years.
The union now boasts 42 associated members. — Viet Nam News/ANN
