Theperiodofeconomic
recessionrequired
extraeffortfrom
agribusiness,butthe
sectormakesnosecret
ofitsenergy,and
inducestheCountryto
bounceback
Thesunwill
shine
T
here is nothing better than the
sunflower to symbolize the pos-
itive strength of agribusiness.
This plant, native toNorthAmer-
ica, fulfills a series of purposes,
and increasingly shows its importance in the
presentworldas a sourceof renewable ener-
gy. As far as landscapes and ornamentations
go, it turns the farms intobeautiful scenarios.
For the food sector, the sunflower is a source
of oil used in the cuisine of a big number of
countries. As far as energy goes, it has been
a reference in the production of biodiesel. In
parallel,asitisguidedbythesun,andfollows
the trajectory of this star throughout the day,
it exemplifies the importanceof absorbingas
much energy from nature as possible, so as
tocontinuegrowingandgetting stronger.
And it acts like Brazil itself, whose econo-
my relies on primary production, in a diverse
number of areas, so as to drive its develop-
ment. On several occasions the Country has
shown its versatility and its competence as a
food and raw material supplier to the world.
Especially, during the first years of the 21st
century, with the advances achieved through
research works in tropical environments, and
with the establishment of new agricultural
frontiers, Brazil took an unimaginable leap in
theglobalpanorama,somedecadesago.
Now, the Brazilian farmers are a refer-
ence in productivity and production qual-
ity in such diverse sectors as fruit farming,
dairy cattle operations, beef cattle, horticul-
ture, grains and fibers, silviculture and flori-
culture. And in each of them the production
hubs incorporate differentials that boost the
international competitiveness of the primary
and industrialized products. Exactly because
of this, if the two past years have witnessed
a serious recession, it is clear that this picture
will change, andvery soon.
Revista AgroBrasil – Balanço Brasileiro
do Agronegócio
, in its
2016/2017 edition
,
features a rather detailed panorama of the
production and market reality in almost a
score of supply chains of a strong export-ori-
ented profile. In all of them, it becomes ev-
ident that the economic downturn, in part
stemming fromthenational political instabil-
ity, has in fact adversely affected the perfor-
mance of every different segment, where the
oscillationoftheexchangeratewasalsoafac-
tor. The new summer crop, now underway,
stresses once again the undeniable capaci-
ty of surmounting difficulties, and bouncing
back. It is as if the sun, which is the origin of
the vital energy of all agricultural crops (as a
source of light and heat), also transmitted its
energy to the rural entrepreneurs.
In interviews and in the opinion of lead-
erships and authorities of the different sec-
tors, it becomes clear that the Country does
not escape from any adversity. On the con-
trary,ittransformsthehurdlesintomotivation
and knowledge for the next steps. Just like
what happens in all economic activities, ups
and downs are part of the daily routine. This
is exactly what happens in agribusiness oper-
ations, where unpredictable climate changes
sometimes transform the scenario complete-
ly,fromdryspellstofloods,hailstormsorwind
storms, resulting into the loss of entire crops.
If the farmers were not prepared to run risks,
theywould not even plant any crops nor start
investing in the activity. What they really seek
is some kind of protection and security, so as
nottosuccumbtothepressureofthehurdles.
And it is with an attentive eye on the still
evident reflections of the recession upon
their finances, but with the perspective of a
more stable scenario on the horizon in 2017
or 2018, that serves as the guide of the Bra-
zilian rural sector in the final stretch of 2016.
The continuity of the positive impact of agri-
business on the balance of trade signals that
the reputation of the countryside was not af-
fectedinanyway.Onthecontrary:morethan
ever the Country relies on the energy of the
agriculture-orientedactivities.
Perhaps,inlightofthisreality,itisuptothe
Brazilian urban society to learn how to valuee
andsupportitsheroes.Ifitwerenotfortheen-
deavor and persistence of these agribusiness
agentsand,morethantheabsenceoffoodon
the table, rawmaterial for the industry or en-
ergyforthehouseholds,moneywouldbethe
real absence. Thedividends attractedbyBra-
zil and the investors that enter into partner-
shipswith the locals havea clear destination:
the immense agricultural frontiers through-
out theBrazilian regions.
In the rural setting, it is not only clear that
thesunwillshine.Itisevidentthatthesunhas
neverfailedtoshine.ForthegoodofBrazil.
Happyreading!
Sílvio Ávila
8
