Hoana Santos is elected the new president of Sindag

Brazilian agricultural aviation has a new leader: Hoana Almeida Santos, a businesswoman from Tocantins, was elected this Thursday (26) to preside over the National Union of Agricultural Aviation Companies (Sindag) for the next two years. She is the first woman to hold the top position at the entity that represents around 90% of the 245 aeroagricultural companies operating in the country.

Hoana has already been part of Sindag's Board of Directors since 2019 and now takes over from Thiago Magalhães Silva, from Orlândia (SP), who becomes vice-president. The new council also includes businesspeople from Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Bahia, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Maranhão.

The election took place in Porto Alegre, in an assembly that reinforced the sector's main agendas, such as communication with society and continuous improvement in the quality and safety of operations. Sindag also focuses on defending the interests of its members and promoting the sustainable development of agricultural aviation in Brazil.

The country is now the second largest aeroagricultural market in the world, with more than 2,5 aircraft (planes and helicopters) operating in crop management, according to data from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac). The Brazilian fleet is second only to that of the United States, which has more than 3,6 aircraft. Furthermore, it is estimated that around 3 drones are already used to treat crops in Brazil.

Agricultural aviation is an essential tool for Brazilian agribusiness, as it allows for a more precise and efficient application of pesticides, fertilizers and seeds. Furthermore, it contributes to environmental preservation, as it reduces product waste and prevents soil compaction and the emission of polluting gases.

Hoana Santos' challenge is to lead the sector at a time when it is facing prejudice and misinformation about its activities. Therefore, it intends to intensify publicity and awareness actions about the benefits of agricultural aviation for the country and the strict standards that govern the sector. She also wants to encourage the participation of women in agricultural aviation, which is still a predominantly male segment.

Therefore, the entity's focus should be on increasing transparency and rapprochement actions with society (reinforcing meetings with the press, government authorities, community leaders and other actors), as well as continuing with continuous improvement programs in the sector - such as the Academies of Operational Security, the MBA in Innovation and Sustainability Management and Sindag na Estada (which is reaching its 100th edition), among other qualification actions.

Research support also comes into play at this point, with the Agricultural Aviation Scientific Congress and the Good Aeroagricultural Practices program (BPA Brasil). In this case, a partnership between the Brazilian Agricultural Aviation Institute (Ibravag, whose president Júlio Kämpf was also at the assembly in Porto Alegre) and Sebrae Nacional.

“It is our obligation to do our social work, debating and bringing information to society”, said the president in her first speech shortly after being elected. The director also thanked the entity and her business colleagues for their support for exchanging experiences since she joined Sindag. “It’s constant learning, in an entity that also makes a lot of effort, together with Ibravag, to enhance the sector”, highlighted Hoana