March 5, 2021

Bunge Brazil to monitor soybean growers at Cerrado area

The Brazilian unit of Bunge Ltd will be stepping up monitoring efforts on soybean growers in the Cerrado area to make sure they are producing their crops using environmentally responsible methods, Reuters reported.

The bulk of Brazilian oilseeds are planted at the Cerrado biome. Bunge said it will guide grain resellers to use "chain verification systems", which include the use of satellite imaging to track where the grains come from.

According to a statement by the company, resellers will be able to use Bunge's geospatial monitoring structure without any costs.

Bunge originates 25 million tonnes of soy, corn, and wheat in Brazil per year, and has pledged to remove deforestation from its supply chain by 2025.

Bunge said it tracks 100% of direct soy purchases in Brazil, the biggest soybean producer and exporter in the world. The new initiative from the company aims to improve tracking of indirect supplies to 100% as well, which is currently 30%.

In the Cerrado area, Bunge monitors more than 8,000 properties spanning 28.6 million acres of land or 96% of its direct soy purchases volume in the region.

- Reuters