RTRS certifies 290 thousand tons of soy from producers in Goiás
The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) has delivered the sustainable production certificate to Groups IV and Comigo, both comprised of rural producers from the Brazilian state of Goiás. In all, 49 producers and 72,667 hectares were certified, totaling 290,742 tons of soy. The certificate was delivered in early April, at a ceremony held in the city of Rio Verde (Goiás).
The document certifies that the properties meet the demands and trends of the market and of society for a differentiated product, ensuring that the entire process causes the least possible amount of socio-environmental impact, providing higher financial returns for producers and enabling improvements in property management and agricultural practices – thus minimizing the risk of incidents, fines and lawsuits by environment and labor agencies.
Valquíria Alonso Pereira, a producer from Fazenda Monte Alegre Pindaíbas (Group IV), believes that certification has been extremely important. “We strive to care for the environment and preserve our ecosystem; the team at Aliança da Terra – which manages our group – provides us with extremely efficient feedback on the actions we undertake. We are very happy to be part of this initiative, as it offers a path to more responsible production and meets market expectations,” she stated.
Producer Ricardo Vian, from Fazenda São Tomaz (in the Comigo Group), believes that certification helps managers address various environmental, social and economic issues. “The certification program has helped us considerably in professionalizing employees and qualifying the farm, and has also provided guidance on the storage and disposal of pesticides, among other benefits. We are pleased and look forward to continuing this partnership with Aliança da Terra and RTRS certification,” he notes.
The RTRS standard is an important tool for producers to increase profitability and expand their businesses, and to increase (exponentially) the volume of quality soy exported to international markets, which are becoming increasingly demanding about the quality of sourced products.
“Producers in Groups IV and Comigo have pledged a commitment to produce and preserve. This is in line with RTRS’ own objective – to increase the number of certified farms year after year, and to get producers engaged with social and environmental responsibility,” says RTRS External Consultant Cid Sanches.
