Actions of the Pacto Cerrado are discussed in Bahia

In order to further strengthen the actions of the Pact for the Cerrado, the Secretariat of the Environment (Sema) and the Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (Aiba) sat down to outline a joint plan for 2025. The Pact foresees the implementation of priority actions to reduce illegal deforestation and preserve the biome, in addition to creating the conditions for the transition towards a sustainable development model in the region. In 2024, Bahia was the only state in the Matopiba region (an area between Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia) that reduced deforestation and achieved a record in production, which shows the effective results of the program's actions.

According to the Secretary of the Environment, Eduardo Mendonça Sodré Martins, the results show that dialogue and partnership with society yield “good results”. “We have an excellent relationship with producers in the West and this has made things easier for both sides. Instead of repression, we work with collaboration, including in inspections”, said the secretary.

The manager also highlighted that Bahia has become a national leader in reducing deforestation between the Cerrado and Legal Amazon biomes, registering a significant drop of 63,3% between August 2023 and July 2024. “This milestone demonstrates how seriously we treat the issue and how important partnerships with civil society are.”

Sema’s Chief of Staff, André Ferraro, who was also present at the meeting, made a point of highlighting the exchange in relation to the technology used to strengthen the actions. “We and Aiba are always looking forward to the introduction of new technologies to be implemented in the actions related to the Pact for the Cerrado. This was one of the topics discussed at our meeting”, he highlighted.

During the meeting, the president of Aiba, Moisés Schmidt, highlighted the importance of the unprecedented partnership between rural producers and the State Government, especially in the Western region. “We have never worked so closely together as we do now. Producers and the Government are truly united, joining forces to face challenges and seek solutions that prioritize increasingly sustainable production and always aiming at the development of the sector. As I have said, this joint work is essential to ensure the economic and social growth of Bahia, always with the greater objective of contributing to the well-being of our population as a whole,” emphasized Schmidt.