Center of Excellence in Sugarcane launched in Ribeirão Preto

The Federation of Agriculture and Livestock System of the State of São Paulo / Rural Learning Service (FAESP/SENAR-SP) laid the cornerstone of the Sugarcane Center of Excellence at Agrishow 2022. The institution, which will facilitate the development of new technologies for the sector, is a partnership between the Federation and the National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA) and SENAR. The operating location will be the SENAR-SP Training Center, in Ribeirão Preto.

The launch took place at the FAESP/SENAR-SP stand at Agrishow, in Ribeirão. “The city is ideal for the operation of the new organization, as it is a large sugarcane cluster and brings together the most modern sugarcane production in the country”, states the president of the Federation, Fábio de Salles Meirelles.

The cornerstone was laid by the vice-president of FAESP and president of the Deliberative Council of Sebrae-SP, Tirso de Salles Meirelles, Daniel Carrara, general director of SENAR, Mario Antonio Biral, superintendent of SENAR-SP, André Sanches, director- general of the CNA College, Francisco Maturro, president of Agrishow and secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, the mayor of Ribeirão Preto Duarte Nogueira, and Maurilio Biagi Filho, honorary president of Agrishow.

“I want to thank CNA for this historic moment for the entire state of São Paulo and the country as a whole. With the Sugarcane Center of Excellence we will be able to bring a better quality of life to thousands of families, in addition to benefiting thousands of rural producers and, consequently, the entire production chain and the community in general”, said Tirso Meirelles .

“The CNA and the national SENAR, in partnership with FAESP / SENAR-SP, will invest around R＄15 million in this project, which could generate more than 2 thousand jobs through the placement in the job market of young people who will enter vocational education and at CNA college,” said Daniel Carrara.

Antônio Duarte Nogueira congratulated FAESP/SENAR-SP and all entities for the initiative, remembering that April 28th is National Education Day

“President Fábio Meirelles knows how much the Sugarcane Center of Excellence will bring new technologies and improvements to the field. This is his dream and it has come true. He is a man who always thought about the best for the farmer, a person of vision and who never spared efforts to improve people's lives, said Mário Antônio Biral

“The Sugarcane Center of Excellence will be of vital importance for the valorization of a crop that we still have to highlight all its benefits much more. Sugarcane is the present and future of this country, and the various products derived from it are of vital importance” said Maurilio Biagi Filho.

Francisco Matturro said he was impressed by the size of the Sugarcane Center of Excellence and made all the technology from the IAC and the state's technicians available to the institution.

The Centers of Excellence are Senar's teaching units, organized by production chain, which form an integrated teaching network responsible for the task of disseminating knowledge nationally. In addition to contributing to the competitiveness and development of the Brazilian agricultural sector, it promotes the economic and social development of the region, generating jobs and income.

The strategic model involves the offers of Technical Professional education at secondary and higher levels of Technology, in face-to-face and distance learning modes; technical and managerial assistance.

Differentiated infrastructure

According to the technical manager of SENAR-SP, Jair Kaczinski, Ribeirão is already a major sugarcane production and technological hub and the Center of Excellence will further reinforce this position. “Agrishow, the largest agricultural technology fair in Brazil, is the ideal place for us to formalize this important initiative”, he highlights. The forecast is that the body will start operating in two years, predicts the technical manager.

Divided into eight modular blocks, the Center will have a modern infrastructure, designed to guarantee comfort and accessibility to educational activities, in a sustainable way. The Center will be equipped with classrooms, computer laboratories, teaching laboratories, library, common area, auditorium, multipurpose pavilion for practical classes, among other spaces.

The professional trained by Senar will be able to work in rural properties, consultancy companies in fruit production, agro-industries, technical assistance institutions, rural extension and research, trade in agricultural equipment and products, cooperatives, rural associations, among others.

At the Center of Excellence in Sugarcane, professional education courses offered by Senar will present a training itinerary, so that students understand the possibilities of following a professional education path, organizing themselves to participate in everything from qualifications to technological graduation . In this format, people can expand their knowledge and education in a gradual evolution.