Cairo \u2013 Brazil\u2019s minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Tereza Cristina, spoke at a seminar Sunday (15) in Cairo, Egypt about sustainable practices in Brazilian agriculture, and about the industry\u2019s environmental concerns. \u201cWhile striving to increase the yields and quality of its agriculture, Brazil is putting in place mechanisms to protect its environment,\u201d the minister told the audience at the Brazil-Egypt Business Seminar in the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce. The majority of attendees were Egyptian businesspersons and importers.<\/p>\n
According to the minister, environmental conservation is a concern not only of Brazil\u2019s government, but of agricultural producers themselves. \u201cBrazil\u2019s forest code law is an effective tool in protecting native vegetation, as it requires that 25% of private farms in the Cerrado area are left untouched, and as much as 80% in the Amazon biome,\u201d said Tereza Cristina. According to her, the Ministry is encouraging low-carbon farming.<\/p>\n
Actions being encouraged include recovery of degraded pastures, crop-livestock-forest integration, and direct planting. \u201cNote that the value of Brazilian forests exceeds that of the environmental services rendered, and in 2017 it was BRL 4.4 billion (USD 1 billion) in extracted products like nuts and a\u00e7a\u00ed, which provide the livelihood of thousands of families, especially in the Amazon area.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister said the usual association between food production in Brazil and deforestation and fires in the Amazon is a farfetched distortion. \u201cThere really is a problem in the Amazon, and it\u2019s being addressed with due seriousness, as I was able to attest in a recent visit to that part of Brazil,\u201d she said regarding deforestation. According to her, Brazil never shied from acknowledging the gravity of the issue, and what needs doing \u2013 and is being done \u2013 is to identify and punish the culprits.<\/p>\n
Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) CEO Ricardo Santin also spoke on the sustainability of poultry farming and agribusiness in Brazil. \u201cBird production does not take place within the Amazon biome,\u201d he said, explaining that the bulk of industry operations are Southern Brazil. According to him, Brazil\u2019s poultry industry is one of the most sustainable in the world. Selling to Europe made it even more sustainable, he argued.<\/p>\n
The seminar was part of an Agriculture Ministry mission to four Arab countries comprising businesspeople and government officials. Activities in Egypt wrapped up on Sunday (15)<\/a>,\u00a0and the delegates will head to Saudi Arabia on Monday (16). They\u2019re also slated to travel to Kuwait and the UAE. The trip ends next Sunday (22).<\/p>\n Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n