Armazena MT Business Fair reflects positive changes for rural producers

The storage deficit in Mato Grosso is 64%, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO. To resolve this debt and encourage the construction of warehouses to store the State's harvests, the Association of Soy and Corn Producers of Mato Grosso (Aprosoja) works on the Armazena MT project.

During the first business fair held in August, financial institutions and state agencies were interested in simplifying bureaucracy so that the increase in the number of warehouses becomes a reality. “It is a good deal for rural producers to have a warehouse on their property or in a condominium”, says Zilto Donadello, North vice-president of Aprosoja and coordinator of the Agricultural Policy and Logistics commission.

The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), for example, created a new line of credit within the Warehouse Construction and Expansion Program (PCA) with differentiated interest – dropped to 5,25% per year for warehouses of up to six thousand tons. Furthermore, the representative of the financial institution committed, during the event, to optimizing the process for obtaining the credit line.

The Mato Grosso Fire Department reviewed Regulation 44, which removed the requirement for a 72m3 water reservoir and the need for fire hydrants on rural properties with warehouses. “This measure reduces the cost for the farmer, but it is worth noting that there are still a series of fire department standards that must be followed when implementing the storage unit”, explains Thiago Rocha, Agricultural Policy and Logistics manager at Aprosoja. The Fire Department also instituted prior analysis of construction projects, which makes it possible to correct errors before construction and avoid subsequent notifications and fines.

In relation to the State Secretariat for the Environment (Sema), there was also a simplification of processes. Licensing can now be done in municipalities that have been decentralized, and in other municipalities it can be done at the secretariat or in Sema's Deconcentrated Units.