With the participation of the main political and business leaders from Brazil and Europe, the CEO of Grupo BBF (Brasil BioFuels), Milton Steagall, will take part in the panel Agribusiness: Brazil's strength for the world's food security, on April 21, at the LIDE Brazil Conference London, an event organized by LIDE (Group of Business Leaders) that will take place on April 20 and 21 at The Savoy in London.
Steagall will address the importance of Sustainable Agribusiness in the Amazon with the cultivation of oil palm, which is fundamental for the development of the region. Because its cultivation cannot be mechanized, oil palm culture keeps people in the field, generates thousands of jobs and, consequently, income for the region where it is present.
Another important point is that oil palm culture recovers degraded areas of the Amazon Rainforest and has a high potential for carbon capture. There are 31 million hectares suitable for cultivation, established in Decree 7172 of the Federal Government in 2010. Currently, there are less than 200 thousand hectares cultivated by a small number of companies operating in the states of Pará and Roraima. This allows great opportunity for expansion of cultivation in the country.
"Palm oil is the most widely consumed by humanity, present in various foods and hygiene and beauty items, as well as being fundamental to Brazil's energy transition. It is the main raw material for the development of the unprecedented Green Diesel (HVO) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) biofuels, which Grupo BBF will produce from the end of 2025. Unfortunately, Brazil still has to import large volumes of palm oil from Asian countries: around 30% of the total volume for the domestic market comes from other countries, according to 2022 data from the Ministry of Economy's Foreign Trade Secretariat," says Steagall.
The debate will be opened with the speakers' perspective on the actions to reinforce the development of Sustainable Agribusiness in the Amazon, a region that is still very needy and with more than 30 million inhabitants. The panel will reinforce the theme that the world's food security needs and must include the Amazon as a primordial region in this agenda.
The LIDE Brazil Conference London will bring together Brazilian and British authorities, businessmen and investors to debate the country's socioeconomic development. Besides new investment opportunities in fundamental sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, industry and services.
The environmental agenda will also be highlighted. Confirmed speakers include Brazil's Minister of Planning and Budget, Simone Tebet, Brazil's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Carlos Fávaro, the President of Brazil's Central Bank, Roberto Campos Neto, and the President of the National Congress, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, as well as governors such as Tarcísio de Fretas (SP), Cláudio Casto (RJ), Helder Barbalho (PA), Ronaldo Caiado (GO) and Renato Casagrande (ES).
