Bioeconomics and Sustainable Oil Palm Cultivation

The bioeconomy has become an important pillar for sustainable development in the Amazon. This economic model sustainably uses biological resources to produce food, energy, materials and various products.

Through agricultural inputs, oil palm cultivation stands out for its high oil production capacity and socio-economic development in the regions where it is grown. Brazil currently produces around 600,000 tons of palm oil and is only a few steps away from achieving self-sufficiency, according to the Brazilian Association of Palm Oil Producers (ABRAPALMA).

In the Amazon region, home to more than 29 million inhabitants, according to data from the Legal Amazon (source: Amazônia Legal), Grupo BBF operates in five northern Brazilian states (Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia and Roraima) with a verticalized production chain, from seed to megawatt, and is a sustainable alternative for keeping the forest standing, generating jobs and income for the local population.

Grupo BBF 's integrated model allows for sustainable production with a low environmental impact, with a focus on recovering degraded areas, in accordance with the Agroecological Zoning of Oil Palm (Federal Decree 7.172), which restricts cultivation to degraded areas until 2007, which contributes directly to sustainable solutions such as decarbonizing the atmosphere and conserving biodiversity.

The positive impact of the bioeconomy goes beyond environmental preservation. It consists of an industrial production model based on the use of biological and sustainable resources in production systems, with the aim of replacing fossil resources. According to the Brazilian Bioinnovation Association (ABBI), the implementation of the bioeconomy in Brazil could generate annual revenues of US$ 284 billion per year.

Palm oil is one of the world's main vegetable oils and is not only the most widely consumed, but is also used in a variety of products. Through sustainable palm cultivation and in a pioneering way, palm oil produced by Grupo BBF is the main raw material for the production of biofuels, renewable energy generation and industrial inputs.

The company currently has more than 75,000 hectares of oil palm cultivated in the states of Pará and Roraima, with a production capacity of approximately 200,000 tons of palm oil per year. The production of palm oil replaces fossil raw materials with renewable ones, helps restore the biome and boosts various sectors, including the electrical, chemical, biofuel and agribusiness industries.

An example of this positive impact is the 25 thermoelectric plants in operation at Grupo BBF, which generate renewable energy with biofuels derived from palm and biomass, lighting up the homes of more than 140,000 residents of isolated communities in the Amazon. In addition, the company encourages the Family Farming Program, benefiting and stimulating around 400 families in the state of Pará with sustainable palm cultivation.

The implementation of the bioeconomy, therefore, is an economic model that combines socio-economic development and environmental preservation, guaranteeing a more sustainable future. Sustainable oil palm cultivation, carried out by Grupo BBF, shows that it is possible to combine efficient production, conservation of the Amazon and improved quality of life, making the bioeconomy an important tool for preservation and economic development for Brazil, which has the potential to be a global leader in palm oil production.