Energy News
FARM NEWS
Brazil's booming ag sector draws cash and controversy
Brazil's booming ag sector draws cash and controversy
By Morgann JEZEQUEL
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Oct 31, 2023

With its massive output of soybeans, beef, cotton and now corn, Brazil has become one of the world's top agricultural powers. But its agribusiness industry also faces criticism, especially over destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

Here is an overview of the South American ag giant, which, more than a decade after passing the United States as the world's biggest soy and beef exporter, is set to overtake US corn exports this year and is now eying the cotton crown.

- Big and growing -

Brazil's agriculture ministry triumphantly announced recently the sector's output will hit a record 1.15 trillion reais ($230 billion) this year.

The country -- the world's fifth-largest by surface area -- is the top producer and exporter of sugar, coffee and soy.

It is also the world's top supplier of chicken and beef, and second in cotton, after the United States.

Agribusiness accounts for nearly one-fourth of Brazil's economy, and half its exports in the first half of the year.

- Roots of the boom -

Brazil's emergence as an agricultural giant goes back to Portuguese colonial times. Fortunes were made here on a succession of commodities: sugarcane, then cotton, rubber and finally coffee, which reigned supreme for more than a century.

But the turning point came in the 1960s and 70s, when Brazil's then military regime ushered in the so-called "green revolution" and encouraged the expansion of agriculture to the Amazon and Cerrado savanna.

Fueled by Chinese demand, Brazil would go on to become the dominant producer of soy, a widely used ingredient in animal feed worldwide.

"Research on genetic improvements, techniques to correct soil acidity and fertilizers" -- plus pesticide development -- have allowed Brazil to expand soy, corn and cotton production into tropical regions, state agricultural research company Embrapa told AFP.

Brazil is able to harvest two and sometimes three crops a year, thanks to its climate and the development of zero till planting and genetically modified (GMO) crops -- which today account for 80 to 90 percent of the country's soy, corn and cotton output.

Production of all three has tripled in the past two decades.

- Price of success -

But the boom has come with controversy.

The agribusiness industry has helped fuel deforestation in the Amazon, which President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to halt.

Polemics over high rates of deforestation, pesticides and GMO use have hurt Brazil's brand in some places, including the European Union, which has held off ratifying a free-trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur over environmental issues.

The agro sector's image has also paid a price internationally for its close association with controversial far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who was in office from 2019 to 2022.

- Under pressure -

Lula will have to come to terms with the powerful agribusiness lobby if he wants to keep his promise to stop Amazon deforestation by 2030, after a surge in destruction under Bolsonaro.

The veteran leftist, who needs the sector's help to keep the economy growing, is looking to open new markets for Brazilian producers via trade deals, notably with top buyer China.

For its part, the ag sector is keen to polish its image, with international clients increasingly demanding deforestation-free products.

"Meat companies are working particularly hard to make their supply chains traceable, which is fundamental for export value," said Luiz Carlos Correa Carvalho, president of the Brazilian Agribusiness Association.

Grain producers meanwhile tout the recent adoption of a sustainable farming deal aimed at protecting the Cerrado.

Environmentalists say that is not enough.

"Real progress would be zero deforestation," said Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil, who called for new production models that protect biodiversity.

The issue is urgent, especially since climate change is already starting to hit agricultural output.

"We have to evolve toward a more sustainable model," said Britaldo Soares Filho, a researcher on environmental modeling at the University of Minas Gerais.

"When agribusiness harms the environment, it's shooting itself in the foot."

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FARM NEWS
Adding crushed rock to farmland pulls carbon out of the air
Davis CA (SPX) Oct 30, 2023
Adding crushed volcanic rock to cropland could play a key role in removing carbon from the air. In a field study, scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University found the technology stored carbon in the soil even during an extreme drought in California. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Communications. Rain captures carbon dioxide from the air as it falls and reacts with volcanic rock to lock up carbon. The process, called rock weathering, can ... read more

FARM NEWS
Gearing up for EarthCARE

Ozone hole reached 12th-largest single-day size in September despite improving overall

High-resolution atmospheric modeling gets a boost with next-gen GEOS-Chem software

Hull Street Energy helps fuel Upstream Tech's mission in environmental monitoring

FARM NEWS
Satnav test on remote island lab

Trimble and Kyivstar to provide GNSS correction services in Ukraine

Galileo becomes faster for every user

Present and future of satellite navigation

FARM NEWS
New study finds hidden trees across Europe: A billion tons of biomass is overlooked today

Reclaiming land stolen in heart of Guatemalan reserve

International summit in Congo mulls future of tropical forests

'Time bomb': Tree-killing bugs threaten France's lush forests

FARM NEWS
Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide

Unlocking sugar to generate biofuels and bioproducts

Breakthrough 3D Printing Technique Doubles Solar Fuel Efficiency

Cow manure to synthetic gas: How can we optimize the process?

FARM NEWS
Decades of Solar Mirror Research Now Accessible in New Database

Quantum Dot Breakthrough at DGIST Promises to Revolutionize Solar Cell Efficiency

Iraq inches toward solar-powered future

Solar mini-grids offer clean-power hope to rural Africa

FARM NEWS
Biden approves largest offshore wind project in US history

NREL analysis identifies drivers of offshore wind development

Floating offshore wind could bring billions in value to the west coast, report shows

Samis block Norway govt offices over illegal wind farms

FARM NEWS
Cheap electricity and jobs keep Serbia tied to coal

German finance minister casts doubt on 2030 coal exit

S.Africa risks 15,000 deaths by 2050 if green transition delayed: study

EU climate talks at loggerheads over fossil fuel language

FARM NEWS
HK students jailed for 'glorifying' attack on police; Local parties shut out of elections

Flowers laid at former home of late Chinese premier Li Keqiang

Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies at 68

Hong Kong university sacks Tiananmen scholar after visa denied

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.