Grupo BBF contributes to sustainable agriculture in the Amazon

The sustainable cultivation of oil palm - the main raw material for the production of the world's most consumed vegetable oil - is an example that combines the recovery of the biome and degraded soil, accelerates carbon capture and fosters the generation of jobs and income for the local population. Its cultivation is perennial and cannot be mechanized, keeping the workforce in the field and promoting socio-economic development in the regions where it is grown.

For the CEO of Grupo BBF, Milton Steagall, palm cultivation reinforces the importance of sustainable development in the region, as a way of keeping the forest standing and bringing quality of life to the more than 29 million Amazonians.

The key to this, according to Steagall, is the recovery of degraded areas of the Amazon rainforest and the creation of jobs. In addition, agriculture in the northern region of Brazil, which already stands out for the diversity of products grown, such as manioc, beans, Brazil nuts, passion fruit, cupuaçu and guaraná, can count on other crops to strengthen its bioeconomy and the maintenance of the standing forest.

"From palm oil it is also possible to talk about bioeconomy in agribusiness. Our country has the potential to be a global leader in palm oil production, without cutting down a single tree in the native forest. The sustainable development of the northern region is urgent. We need to find ways to keep the forest standing, but also provide jobs, income and wealth for the population," says the executive.

Currently, Grupo BBF has more than 75,000 hectares under oil palm cultivation in the states of Pará and Roraima, responsible for capturing around 800,000 tons of carbon annually.

Brazil is a global benchmark in the sustainable cultivation of this oilseed and has some of the strictest legislation in the world. The plant can only be grown in degraded areas until 2007, in compliance with the Agroecological Zoning of Oil Palm, decree 7.172 of the Federal Government of May 2010. In addition, more than 31 million hectares in the Amazon region have been identified as suitable for growing the plant by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). The country currently ranks 10th among the world's largest palm oil producers, with around 300,000 hectares under cultivation and 85% of production concentrated in the state of Pará.

Sustainable agribusiness in the Amazon generates jobs and income

At Grupo BBF, combining forest recovery and job creation is the key to developing sustainable agribusiness. Today, the company generates around 5,000 direct jobs and approximately 80% of its workforce is made up of workers who work in the field, planting seeds, doing pre-sowing and nursery work, maintaining the final planting and harvesting the fresh fruit bunches. In this context, the company contributes to job creation around its operations, as well as supporting people from all over the world who come to Brazil in search of opportunities.

In São João da Baliza, the municipality in the state of Roraima where the company was founded, Grupo BBF employs 201 Venezuelans - around 30% of the company's total workforce of 681. Gerardine Garcia is one of the Venezuelan women employed by the company. She arrived in Brazil in 2020 and worked as a cleaner and nanny for two years. In March 2022, she began her career at Grupo BBF as an assistant, carrying out general services related to oil palm cultivation and currently leads a team of 32 people in the company's agricultural area. "It was Grupo BBF that opened its doors to me and my mother. It was an opportunity for knowledge and a change of life. I joined as part of the farming team and today I'm one of the company's leaders in the field," she says.