Brazilisthelargestsoybeansupplier
withininternationalcriteriaof
sustainableresponsibility,andtendsto
keeponthesametrackforyearstocome
W
ith the aim to certify 4 mil-
lion tons of soybean in the
world, of which 3 million
produced in Brazil, the
2017/18 growing season
should mark a step forward in the produc-
tion of the oilseed in a sustainable manner.
This evaluation is by Cid Sanches, external
consultant at the Roundtable on Respon-
sible Soy (RTRS). Presided over by Marina
Born de Engels, it comprised 32 thousand
farmers and 50 buyers in the past season,
especially from Europe. The market soars
around onemillion tons a year, and Brazil is
the leader, with a share of 70%.
In the program, the farmers ensure, in
compliance with a set of rules, a certification
label to the grain and the bonus that comes
from the responsible production protocol.
Sales do not need to be physical, and could
follow a method similar to the carbon cred-
its, that is to say, the client pays for thebonus
andisentitledtotherightof,evenwithoutre-
ceivingtheoilseed,fittingintotheproduction
support profile under socially, economically
andenvironmentally responsible criteria.
The certification protocol is unique in the
world. Brazil’s advantage lies in its strict legis-
lation, says Cid Sanches. “Those who comply
with legislation have already covered 80% of
the necessary trajectory”, he argues. The bo-
nusisvariableandsuffersnointerferencefrom
the RTRS, once it represents a private and di-
rectnegotiationbetweensellerandbuyer.The
profile of the farmers in the program resem-
bles an entrepreneur who, besides economic
and environmental edges, pursues a positive
image for the product, for the modernization
of the productive system, deeper insertion
intothemarketandhigheraddedvalue.
Buyers seek grain, management and in-
put traceability, the reference in the use of
best practices and the certainty of offering
the consumers a product that makes a dif-
Responsible
leadership
Systemoffers financial bonus to farmers
andmeets global demand in the first place
ference from a social and environmental
point of view. This soybean is purchased for
theproductionof feed for livestock that pro-
duce milk, cheese and other dairy products
of high commercial value in Europe. Certi-
fication occurs through free adhesion and
can be either individual or in group.
In Marina’s view, RTRS’ permanent chal-
lenge consists in increasing the scale and
reach of the activities, within a context of
becoming more than a global pattern of re-
sponsible soy, but to generate the transfor-
mation of themarket andmeet client needs,
nowsoaring innumbers anddemand. Anes-
timateby the FoodandAgricultureOrganiza-
tionoftheUnitedNations(FAO)indicatesthat
demand for soybeanwill doubleby2050.
“Over the past 50 years, the amount of
land devoted to soybean in theworld soared
tenfold. A huge part of this cultivation is con-
centrated inSouthAmerica, frequently at the
cost of some ecosystems that play an impor-
tant role on the planet”, says Marina. “This
continuous pressure is just one more indica-
tion of the importance of responsible soy”.
The expectation is that Brazil, within a five-
year period, will reach nearly 20 million tons
of responsible soyunder production.
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Sílvio Ávila
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