Embrapa turns 49 years old this Tuesday, April 26th, carrying out transformations in its structure, through the Transforma Embrapa project, and acting strongly to contribute with solutions for Brazilian agriculture. One of the most recent actions, planned in the second half of last year, and now highlighted by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, is the strategy to reduce the impact of the high cost of fertilizers. This is the FertBrasil Caravana, which will serve regions throughout Brazil offering efficient alternatives to qualify production. “Science is always Embrapa’s main response”, says Moretti, referring to the trajectory of almost five decades, built on Brazil’s investment in research and which elevated the country to the category of one of the largest global players in the production of food and scientific reference in agriculture.
The anniversary ceremony, which will consist of the presentation of the results in the Company's 2021 Social Report, the update of the Vision 2030 document (which outlines future trends for Brazilian agriculture), the launch of new technological solutions and the signing of new partnerships strategic, will be held on the afternoon of April 27th, at Embrapa headquarters, in Brasília, with the presence of government authorities, parliamentarians, leaders of national agricultural institutions and partners.
Today, for Brazil, the context in which the Company of almost five decades is inserted is even more strategic – and not only for the current economy, considering the 27,4% share of agriculture in Brazilian GDP, but for what's to come. In the case of fertilizers, for example, Celso Moretti says that it is possible to increase efficiency from 60% to up to 70% this year, generating savings of 1 billion dollars for Brazilian agriculture, through rational use. “Associated with this, there is a set of technologies that can contribute to reducing dependence on imported fertilizers, such as the BiomaPhos biofertilizer, which acts on the phosphorus in the soil and makes it available to the plant, reducing the use of phosphate and fertilizer”, he explains.
According to Moretti, the expectation is that by 2030, with the advancement of the adoption of alternative sources of fertilizers, the need for imports could fall by 25%, that is, 10 million tons. Brazilian imports currently stand at 43 million tons.
Still in the scenario that marks the Company's 49th anniversary, there is the prospect that science can support the process of internal self-sufficiency in the supply of wheat, one of the most essential products in the production of the foods most consumed by Brazilians, as the indispensable breakfast bread. “We have already managed to develop wheat here that is not produced in any other tropical region”, celebrates the president. Of the Brazilian annual demand of 12,5 million tons, he recalls that 7,5 million were produced and that the rest can be compensated with the use of areas in the cerrado, thanks to Embrapa technology. Currently, in the Cerrado, 200 thousand hectares are already occupied by tropical wheat crops. “In addition to the internal market, we can also help reduce hunger in other countries around the world”, he adds.
For Moretti, the good prospects that Embrapa's research is bringing to the country with the development of wheat also in the cerrado areas in Roraima will be decisive for national agriculture. “Research has been carried out since 2012, but advances in the last three years are changing the production sector”, he states, referring to recent tests with three materials for the region, which have already revealed the cultivation potential, especially in the size of the cycle until harvest, just 66 days, and productivity of three tons per hectare, making it possible to produce two wheat crops in the winter. “With the research, Embrapa has fulfilled its role, which will contribute to Brazil being more than self-sufficient in wheat”, he states. “We have already mapped the cerrado and we have the availability of another two million hectares of consolidated area for cultivation, which will enable current production to be tripled, elevating Brazil to the category of one of the ten largest wheat exporters in the world”, he guarantees.
Among the president's main defenses, with regard to the Brazilian image inside and outside the country, the question of the sustainability of the national agro is a priority. “It is necessary to reinforce and better communicate what is really being done and the results of this effort so that the world understands that Brazil has always sought to reconcile agricultural production activities with environmental preservation”, he says.
After completing almost half a century of research, he recalls the highlights of Embrapa's contribution that have attracted attention in foreign scientific forums. “Agroforestry Systems (SAF) and Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF), direct planting, integrated pest management (IPM), biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and pasture recovery are just some of the technologies that we have presented and reflected abroad”, he comments. In November last year, Moretti participated in two weeks of panels and round tables with global representations, during the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 26), in Glascow, Scotland, during which he had the opportunity to reinforce sustainability of Brazilian science.
In Embrapa's trajectory, there is no shortage of reports of positive impacts on the economy, the environment and the Brazilian table. If today Brazil is positioned as a leader in the international forage market, the Company's brand is present: 90% of the planted area throughout the country uses Embrapa varieties, adopted in more than 64 million hectares, benefiting more than 44 million heads of cattle. Technology and innovation in cloning, the largest genetic bank in Latin America, research in the area of genetic improvement, the potential of Carbon Neutral Meat, digital agribusiness and precision agriculture, encouraging the development of startups and the development of Software and mobile applications have already become a reference in the international scientific world and have motivated the interest of partners in Europe, the United States, Canada, countries in the Middle East and Africa.
The president highlights that it was possible to write a large part of this history thanks to partnerships: “Throughout history, we have maintained cooperation with universities, research institutions and different segments of the productive sector, such as cooperatives and producer associations, which joined in the efforts to so many contributions to society were possible”, he comments. Each year, the company signs 86 new medical agreements and contracts with national and international partners, in addition to executing contracts signed in previous years.
“Not even during the pandemic when it was necessary to adapt the Company's entire work profile, the goals were compromised”, recalls the president, highlighting the adaptability and effort of employees at headquarters and in all Decentralized Units. In 2021, 564 contracts were executed aimed at promoting research and providing services, with a focus on cost sharing, interaction between teams and accelerating the achievement of results.
Among the most recent highlights of innovation in agricultural research, the president cited the development of the BiomaPhos bioinput, the Crystal bioinsecticide and its efficiency in controlling caterpillars, the new cultivars of rubber trees, soybeans, guaraná, cassava, cotton, wheat and irrigated rice, Flex I and II Sugarcane, the first genetically edited sugarcane considered non-transgenic, which facilitate the manufacture of ethanol (first and second generation) and the extraction of other bioproducts. Research with Robusta coffee, which adds value and promotes social transformation in the Amazon, the Aquaplus platform, a collection of innovative solution technologies for producers and entrepreneurs aimed at improving the management and genetics of aquaculture species, the active native fish germplasm bank of Brazil and the cultivars that generated the most royalties for Embrapa (BRS Piatã, BRS Zuri, Soja BRS 284, Arroz BRS Pampa CL and Trigo BRS 264) also entered the list of results with the greatest impact on national agriculture.
While seeking to contribute to overcoming current challenges, Embrapa is internally involved with the implementation of a new operational model within the organization. “The proposal of the Transforma Embrapa project is to make the company modernize, have more agility and effectiveness in developing its goals, with more productive and efficient teams, with reduced costs”, explains Celso Moretti. Result of the work of Falconi consultancy, on the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) with support from CNA, OCB, Sebrae and Funarbe, the project aims to boost the areas of innovation and business, people management, governance and digital transformation.
The new structure foresees the replacement of five secretariats with the People, Services and Finance directorates; Governance and Management; of business; and Research, Development and Innovation. “The forecast is that from the new institutional design there will be a reduction in expenses of around R$ 222 million per year, in the short, medium and long term, from current expenses to the centralization of corporate processes and optimization of the framework . “Just by eliminating the Secretariats and creating a Board of Directors, the estimated savings will be R$ 1 million per year”, comments Moretti, when defining the new strategy as part of the maturity of the Company's management.
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