Areas close to the operations of Grupo BBF (Brasil BioFuels) in São João da Baliza (RR) have 85% fewer deforestation alerts than areas further away in the same region. This is shown by a survey carried out using the "MapBiomas Alerta" monitoring platform, a system for validating and refining deforestation alerts using high-resolution satellite images, created by the Climate Observatory and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals Estimation System (SEEG).
According to the survey carried out in November 2023, more than 21,000 hectares with deforestation alerts were identified within a radius of 50 km from the area where Grupo BBF grows sustainable oil palm (see image). Reducing this radius to 15 km from the company shows a reduction of approximately 85% of the alerts. "This highlights the positive influence of environmental preservation practices in relation to the activities of Grupo BBF. As well as generating income and employment in areas of low HDI in the country, our sustainable palm cultivation recovers areas already degraded by deforestation and contributes to keeping the Amazon rainforest standing," says Milton Steagall, CEO of Grupo BBF.
Currently, Grupo BBF has more than 75,000 hectares under oil palm cultivation in Pará and Roraima. Of these, more than 15,000 hectares are under cultivation in Roraima, where the company began its activities in 2008.
"Brazil has the strictest legislation in the world for oil palm cultivation - decree 7.172 established by the Federal Government in 2010 - which defined that oil palm can only be cultivated in areas deforested in the Amazon region until December 2007. Grupo BBF only cultivates the plant in the areas permitted by law, which means that our operation does not result in deforestation; on the contrary, it recovers areas that have already been degraded and promotes biodiversity," explains Steagall.
Despite being exotic in the region, the palm brings several advantages to the areas where it is grown. This is because it transforms previously degraded areas into ecological corridors. "The palm is also a rustic plant, meaning it doesn't need daily cultivation or the use of chemical products, which also brings benefits to the region's fauna," he says. In addition, the company believes that it is possible to combine forest recovery and socio-environmental development in the area surrounding its operations.
Sustainable palm cultivation cannot be mechanized and generates thousands of jobs, income and socio-economic development in isolated regions of the Amazon. The company currently stands out as one of the largest employers in the North, with more than 5,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia and Roraima.
"I always say that where there is development, education and income generation there is preservation and care for the environment. Currently, more than 29 million inhabitants live in the Amazon region and the number one priority, whether from the state or the private sector, must be to create jobs and the socio-economic development of the region," reinforces the CEO of Grupo BBF.
Sustainable planting in practice
Today, more than 11 million palm trees are cultivated by Grupo BBF and are responsible for capturing around 800,000 tons of carbon every year. In addition, it is worth noting that the Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves (RL) protected by Grupo BBF store around 29 million tons of carbon in the atmosphere.
In its cultivation areas, Grupo BBF follows a model of good environmental management practices with highly efficient use in production processes. An example of this is the use of 100% natural and organic fertigation, in which the water from cooking the oil palm fruit, which is rich in nutrients, is returned through fertigation to the plantation areas, as a sustainable alternative for the necessary cultivation of the palm. The company also uses the composting technique, using organic fertilizer prepared from the decomposition of empty palm bunch waste and effluents from the production process.
"In order to guarantee the lowest possible impact of our operations on the environment and the surrounding communities, we carry out a strict program of continuous monitoring, which follows the indicators established by the National Environmental Council (CONAMA). Our operation is also in line with the best international practices for sustainable oil palm management," concludes Steagall.
About Grupo BBF
Grupo BBF (Brasil BioFuels), a Brazilian company founded in 2008, produces palm oil and has a cultivated area of over 75,000 hectares and a production capacity of 200,000 tons of oil per year. The company works to create sustainable solutions for generating renewable energy in isolated systems, with thermoelectric plants powered by biofuels produced in the region. Its agricultural activity recovers areas that were degraded until 2007 in the Amazon, following the Agroecological Zoning of Oil Palm (ZAE), approved by Decree 7.172 of the Federal Government, of May 7, 2010.
Grupo BBF has created an integrated business model in which it operates from the beginning to the end of the value chain - from sustainable oil palm cultivation, crude oil extraction, biofuel production, biotechnology and renewable energy generation. Grupo BBF 's operations are located in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Rondônia, Roraima and Pará, comprising 38 thermoelectric plants (25 in operation and 13 under implementation), 3 oil palm crushing units, a soybean extruder and a biodiesel industry.
