August 9, 2012
Brazil issues Cargill's Santarem port terminal operating permit
Brazil's State of Para Environmental Secretariat (SEMA) issued on Sunday (Aug 5) the operating permit for Cargill's Santarem port terminal, as well as the installation permit to expand those facilities.
The license formalises SEMA's technical opinion on the feasibility of that investment and will enable Cargill to go ahead and make further investments in the terminal.
The documents were handed to the company during the opening of the Lower Amazon Agricultural Fair in Santarem, PA, by the state of Para Environmental Secretary, Jose Alberto Colares, one of many authorities attending the event.
The new investments to expand the facilities were considered in the Environmental Impact Study and Environmental Impact Report (EIA-RIMA) of the terminal. The new license will enable Cargill to expand the terminal's storage capacity to 90,000 tonnes of grains. The company also plans to upgrade the logistics involving delivery, storage, and shipping of grains. "The investments reinforce Cargill's effort and commitment to Santarem and help develop Brazilian agribusiness," explains Clythio Buggenhout, Cargill's director of ports.
The delivery of the operating permit concludes a democratic process the Santarem terminal EIA-RIMA process represented. Four public hearings held in four municipalities (Santarem, Belem, Alenquer e Belterra) were attended by more than 90 institutions and had the input of local leaders, residents, public and private organisations, NGOs, and farmers.
Cargill carries out a series of initiatives to ensure more responsible production of soy in that region. In a partnership with an NGO, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which goes back to 2003, Cargill develops the Sustainable Soy project, an initiative designed to improve farming practices and encourages local farmers to obtain their Rural Environmental Registry (CAR). The company is also part of the Soy Moratorium, an agreement between NGOs, businesses, and the federal government, which bans trading of soy grown in areas deforested after July 2006.
