The sale of oil palm fruit raised R$16 million for family farmers in the state of Pará, through the Family Agriculture Program, maintained by Grupo BBF ( Brasil BioFuels), benefiting 400 rural producers in the first half of the year. More than 19,000 tons of palm oil were purchased, a harvest that is already approximately 20% higher than the total collected in the same period in 2022.
One of the beneficiaries of the program is family farmer Manoel do Carmo, 63. "I've been a farmer since I can remember. My father left this legacy to me and my siblings, and it was by looking after our land that we made a living. With the arrival of the BBF we've been able to go beyond just having a plate of food on the table and really change the reality of our children's lives," he said.
With more than 950 technical visits to partner farmers, the company's Family Farming Program provides seedlings, assistance with bank loans, incentives for continuous improvement and guaranteed purchase of fruit at competitive market prices. The aim is to combine sustainability and forest recovery, generating jobs, income and socio-economic development for the regions where the company operates.
Through a partnership with the National Rural Apprenticeship Service (Senar), the company works to promote the social welfare of women farmers. During 2023, around 150 female workers received certification from training courses aimed at helping families generate extra income.
"They're giving us the opportunity to learn new trades in addition to farming. I finished the bakery course and I can now earn extra income to help my family even more. While the oil palm is grown in my backyard, I sell my products here in the neighborhood," says Maria do Socorro Silva, a farmer from the municipality of Moju.
In Brazil, sustainable oil palm production follows some of the strictest legislation in the world. Since 2010, the country has had Oil Palm Agroecological Zoning, defined by decree of the Federal Government. The initiative prohibits the cutting down of forest for this purpose and determines that cultivation should only be carried out in previously approved areas that have been deforested by December 2007.
The National Program to Strengthen Family Farming (PRONAF) was created in 1995, initially as a rural credit line. Today, according to the Federal Government, the Program involves a set of actions designed to increase the productive capacity, generate employment and raise the income of family farmers, with the aim of promoting development in rural areas.
For the CEO of Grupo BBF, Milton Steagall, the model adopted by the company shows the importance of family incentives for sustainable agribusiness in Brazil. "Every year, Grupo BBF proves that it is possible to increase production capacity, generate employment, protect the environment and guarantee income for family farmers. We are very proud to be developing sustainable agribusiness in Pará in partnership with family farmers. Last year, the more than 400 partner families guaranteed more than R$ 30 million in sales of oil palm fruit for our company, showing that it is possible to combine socio-economic development with income generation in the sustainable cultivation of oil palm," says Steagall.
