Productivity and income of participants increases with Social Biofuel Seal
The program takes technical assistance to small producers and assists in accessing markets and in the flow of production.
Jan 19, Sao Paulo: With about 1,200 family farmers, the Cooperative of Family Farmers and Solidarity Enterprises (Coopaiba), in Alagoas, started to produce more after being trained in the Social Biofuel Seal policy. The cooperative members work with coconut processing and started to supply raw material to biodiesel companies on a regular basis.
The president of Coopaiba, Antonino Cardoso, tells how the seal helped in the recovery of the cooperative and in the growth of productivity. “The initiative allowed us to solve a historical problem for us. The 2015 drought devastated almost 600 hectares of planted area of perennial culture and, through this initiative, we have already recovered 253 hectares of the planted area, which were affected by this drought. ”
Social Biofuel Seal
Created by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), the Social Biofuel Seal provides technical assistance to small producers and assists in access to markets and in the flow of production while contributing to the sustainability of the Brazilian energy matrix and the reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants.
Biodiesel producers who buy raw material from family farmers and fulfil requirements - ensure minimum price, buy the minimum percentage of raw material, provide technical assistance to family farmers and close prior purchase and direct sales contracts with farmers or through cooperatives - receive the seal, granted by the Map, and have access to various benefits. Among them, reduced and differentiated rates of PIS / Pasep and Cofins (according to the raw material purchased and the region) and differentiated access to the auctions of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
“Based on the actions of this Map initiative, the family farmer is able to significantly change his life. At first, he has contact with technical assistance, but, subsequently, there is also a whole unfolding that has a direct positive impact on the farmer's life and in the city where he lives ”, said Antonino Cardoso.
Fundamental technical assistance
In 2019, the label benefited more than 60 thousand families from family farming, which produce soy, tallow, oil palm, macaúba, peanuts and others. That same year, more than 3 million tons of raw material were sold, within the scope of the seal, reaching a value of R $ 4.6 billion. The 2020 data will be consolidated after March when the deadline for farmers, cooperatives and companies to pass on the information ends.
The secretary of Family Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Map, Fernando Schwanke, highlights that the offer of technical assistance to the farmers participating in the Seal is essential. “Studies show that, after technical assistance, farmers' production increases three to four times. And, in addition to acting as a development tool, the initiative promotes added value in traditional chains. An example of this is the diversification arrangements that already occur with coconut in the Northeast. ”
Sustainability
In addition to training, generating jobs and income for the family farmer, the initiative contributes to the reduction of environmental impacts caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, since the combustion of biodiesel generates fewer pollutants than the burning of the so-called “fossil fuels”, such as gasoline and conventional diesel.
The general coordinator of Extraction of the Secretariat of Family Agriculture and Cooperatives, Marco Aurélio Pavarino, points out that, in 2019, Brazil produced/imported a total of almost 54 billion litres of diesel. Of this volume, six billion litres was biodiesel.
“Therefore, we had a reduced capacity to burn diesel, let's say, in trucks and cars, of six billion litres. This means a very positive environmental impact. There are almost 70% less greenhouse gas emissions that we have in biodiesel compared to fossil diesel ”, he evaluated.
The coordinator estimates that the production of biodiesel in 2019, with the support of the MAP initiative, prevented the emission of about 11 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in the atmosphere.
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