UNICA goes to the United States, India and China to defend the sector

Washington and New York, in the United States, New Delhi, in India, and Beijing and Nanning, in China, will be the destinations for executives from the Sugarcane Industry Union (UNICA) between May 13th and 26th. The president director, Evandro Gussi, and the executive director, Eduardo Leão, will carry out an intense agenda of meetings, meetings and seminars, with the aim of strengthening ties and improving the sector's positioning with the main stakeholders in the international market.

The schedule in the United States begins in Washington with a meeting with the Brazilian Ambassador to the United States, Sergio Amaral, to talk about the prospects for ethanol in the bilateral relationship. In New York, UNICA will be received at the Brazilian mission to the UN by Ambassador Mauro Vieira, to talk about RenovaBio.

Furthermore, Evandro Gussi will speak at the Santander ISO Datagro New York Sugar & Ethanol Conference 2019, and will hold meetings with leaders from the corn ethanol industry and sugar buyers. The agenda in the United States ends with a meeting with Latin American sugar producers to discuss challenges in the region.

“We believe that the rapprochement between the two countries that began at the meeting between Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump created a more favorable environment for dialogue. The national sector faces some important topics to be debated, such as solutions to commercial issues and cooperation for the expansion of global ethanol trade”, anticipates Gussi.

chip

Last harvest, India became the largest sugar producer in the world and has been adopting production and export subsidies that have destabilized the global sugar market. The country is the target of consultation at the WTO opened by the Brazilian government and, therefore, the sector considers it crucial to promote dialogue with the country.

UNICA's executive agenda includes meetings with the private sector and government in India, including an expert on WTO issues from the Ministry of Commerce and representatives from the NITI Aayog, a government institution that promotes development.

“We understand that we can achieve a balance in the international sugar market if other producing countries adopt the Brazilian flex plant model, with the possibility of allocating part of the production to ethanol. Cooperation between productive sectors can be interesting to expand the global biofuels market and the income of local producers”, explains Leão.

chip

In China, executive meetings are planned with the National Energy Association (NEA) and the China Sugar Association (CSA), among other institutions and stakeholders. The country has a mandatory blend of 10% ethanol in gasoline by 2020 and Brazil has the expertise to support achieving this.

“With this intense agenda, we hope to generate conversations and alliances in markets that directly impact Brazilian sugar and ethanol exports. The ultimate objective is to expand commercial opportunities between Brazil and these countries, and the global market in general”, says Gussi.