RoundtableResponsibleSoy
Association(RTRS) intensifiesinitiatives
towardstheproduction,processing
andresponsiblesalesofthekernels
C
ommitted to promoting the
production, processing and
sales of responsible soybean,
the Roundtable Responsible
Soy Association is engaged
(RTRS) in achieving more satisfactory re-
sults and driving the sector forward. In
2016, according to a report on the associ-
ation’s administration, 3.09 million tons of
certified soybeans were produced, involv-
ingupwards of 32 thousand farmers andal-
most 200 associate members. In Brazil, the
volume of certified soybean in 2016 went
up 23%, an amount that represents 70%of
certified soybean in the world.
In the first half of 2017, RTRS soybean
sales were up 10% from the same period
the previous year. The expectation is for
exceeding these numbers and the annual
growth of certification at around 30%, in-
volving sectors committed to environmen-
tally correct, socially fair and economically
viable production systems. Marina Engels,
who took over as RTRSpresident inAugust,
has it that the big challenge nowadays is
the growth of the global population and
the need to increase food production and
the quality of the food.
One of the priorities of the RTRS con-
sists in giving all farmers access to respon-
sible soybean growing practices. With-
in this context, the Group Certification
Sustainable
brand
InBrazil alone, the volume of certified soybean in 2016 soared 23%
schememakes it possible for several small-
scale farmers to set up a group and apply
for a unique certification that covers all the
fields, thus sharing the evaluation costs –
both for certification purposes or annual
surveillance. The dimension of the groups
from less than 10 to more than 10 thou-
sand farmers. In all, 468,000 hectares have
already been certified as responsible.
In the Country, so as to help with ef-
ficiently materializing its guidelines, the
Roundtable Responsible Soy Association
relies on support from Brazil’s RTRS Task
Force. It is in fact work and collaboration by
membersof theassociation itself, encourag-
ing theworkof the internationalmarket and
contributing towards the creation of public
policies, besides spreading information to
farmers and consumers. From time to time,
the group meets in order to exchange infor-
mation and systematize the decisions tak-
en on behalf of the future of the segment.
n
Robispierre Giuliani
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