From the Newsroom
São Paulo – Coinbra group, the fourth largest producer of soy and orange juice in Brazil is going to invest around US$ 150 million in a project to increase its productive capacity in the midwestern states of Mato Grosso and Goiás, in southeastern São Paulo, and in southern Paraná. Of this total, around US$ 60 million will be financed by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), according to information provided yesterday (8) by a spokesperson for the bank. One of the objectives is to increase export. Brazil is the largest orange producer in the world and the second in production of the Soy complex.
According to information supplied by the bank, the project forecasts the construction of a factory to crush 3,000 tonnes of soy per day in the municipality of Alto Araguaia (in the Midwestern state of Mato Grosso). In the same city, according to a spokesperson for the BNDES, the company is going to install a grade school for poor children.
According to the BNDES, investment in Mato Grosso is necessary due to the rising production in the state, which answers to 30% of domestic soy production, but only has 10% of the crushing capacity. Apart from that, still according to information provided by the bank, the proximity of a terminal on the Ferro Norte railway simplifies product shipping and reduces product transport cost to the southeastern port of Santos.
In the municipality of Jataí (in the midwestern state of Goiás) the intention is to increase soy-crushing capacity in an existing factory from 900 tonnes per day to 2,000 tonnes per day. In the southern city of Ponta Grossa (in Paraná state) the crushing capacity of an existing plant will also be expanded, from 2,000 tonnes a day to 3,000 tonnes a day.
In the case of Matão (in the southeastern state of São Paulo) investment will be made in expansion and modernization of an orange juice unit. With this, the orange crushing capacity will be increased from 19 million crates per year to 23.4 million crates.
In Bebedouro, also in São Paulo state, investment will be in expansion of the productive capacity in the local factory from 19 million crates of oranges per year to 28.6 million. The company is also going to invest part of the funds in the plantation of 833,000 new orange trees.
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Coinbra group, of French origin, was in 12th place among the largest Brazilian exporters in 2003. Revenues totalled US$ 696.5 million in foreign trade last year.
According to the BNDES, the company employs around 5,000 people in Brazil, a figure that may rise to around 8,500 at harvest time. With the new investment, the forecast is for creation of 493 new work posts.
