Embrapa launches IX Brazilian Soy and Mercosoja Congress 2021

This Friday, October 23rd, Embrapa Soja launched the IX Brazilian Soy Congress and Mercosoja 2021, in digital format, and is available on the Embrapa Soja channel on YouTube. Participating in the ceremony were: Celso Moretti, president of Embrapa; Rodolfo Rossi, former president and member of the Executive Committee of the Argentine Soy Chain Association (ACSOJA); Alexandre Nepomuceno, general manager of Embrapa Soja and Adilson de Oliveira, president of the event.

Moretti highlighted that the theme of the event Challenges for sustainable soy production is in line with the relevance that Brazilian soy assumes worldwide. In the 2019/20 harvest, Brazil produced 257 million tons of grains, of which more than 120 million were soybeans. “Brazil has become the world's largest producer of soybeans and the crop today has important impacts on the economy, impacting business, generating employment and income and bringing improvements to the quality of life of the entire population,” he said.

The president of Embrapa also stated that the soybean production chain in Mercosur is centered on sustainability and cited technologies such as the development of adapted cultivars, the integrated management of pests, diseases and weeds, the use of biotechnology for genetic improvement, as well as techniques soil management and conservation. When talking about sustainability, he also highlighted Biological Nitrogen Fixation, a technology that, by using bacteria to fix nitrogen, eliminates the need for nitrogen fertilizers. “In 2019 alone, with the adoption of this technology, Brazil stopped spending 5 billion dollars on nitrogen fertilizers,” he said. “I understand that it is a challenge to continue producing in a sustainable way and, in this sense, these two events could bring to the debate technologies that help Mercosur countries become increasingly competitive”, he highlighted.

Mercosoja

Rodolfo Rossi also highlighted the relevant role of soy in Mercosur and recalled that when Mercosoja and CBSoja began in 1999, soy production in this bloc was 55 million tons and currently 200 million tons are produced in Mercosur countries. “We are leaders in soybean production and it is important that we hold events of this nature to encourage both the adoption of good agricultural practices, as well as the maintenance of the sustainability of production systems”, he emphasized.

Impact of soy on Brazil - Alexandre Nepomuceno, general manager of Embrapa Soja, highlighted the relevance of soy cultivation for Brazilian agribusiness, which represents 21% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "With the Coronavirus crisis, there is the prospect of a reduction in GDP in the country, but agribusiness should continue to play a leading role, because the global demand for food is also high and growing", he explained.

In fact, in the next 20 years, the Planet will reach 9 billion people and it is a great challenge to produce food to meet the global food demand. “In this context, soy is consolidated as the main source of protein, whether in animal feed or in industrialized products,” he said. Nepomuceno also stated that Brazil, in the last harvest, became an important player, because it is currently the world's largest producer of soybeans with approximately 120 million tons and the largest exporter of the grain. Around 80% of Brazilian soy is destined for China. “The demand for protein to meet the Chinese market – in search of quality food – should keep the Brazilian market buoyant,” he highlighted. “But Brazil must still increase ways of adding value”, he stated.

When presenting the impactful soybean figures, Nepomuceno spoke of the need to hold an event like CBSoja, which debates technically bottlenecks in the sector and also opportunities. “We will present different approaches to current challenges, including innovative technologies that will make a difference in maintaining our competitiveness and sustainability of Brazilian soybeans”, he reinforced.

IX CBSoja

Event president Adilson de Oliveira Jr said that the entire theme of the events will be centered on technological challenges for the soy production chain and the presentation of sustainable solutions to improve efficiency and profitability in the field. “Certainly, this is the largest technical-scientific forum on soybean cultivation, held in Mercosur”, he emphasized.

The topics will be presented by the most renowned experts in each technical area. The objective is to present both the state of the art of soybean cultivation (from sustainable technologies to market opportunities) and themes that are at the forefront of knowledge, such as bioeconomy and agriculture 4.0.

Oliveira Jr highlighted the relevance of the event to provide integration and relationships between participants. The expectation is to bring together around 2 thousand participants from Brazil and abroad. “Therefore, we believe it is an excellent opportunity to expand and consolidate networking”, he highlights.

One of the new features of this edition will be the Innovation Arena, an environment to integrate the innovation ecosystem, from startups to agriculture 4.0 companies, in addition to presenting the most recent emerging and disruptive applications for the soy production chain.

The Exhibitor Pavilion also aims to bring together important market information for participants. During the event, the technical program was presented, as well as the possibilities for companies to participate, criteria for submitting work, among other information.