Minister Cassel attends to BSBIOS Case which evaluates the impact of biodiesel production in the Sta

Last Monday (08/30), the Minister of the Rural Development Guilherme Cassel, was at the Federação das Indústrias do Rio Grande do Sul (FIERGS) headquarter, participating in a meeting with the chairman of FIERGS Paulo Tigre, with the vice-chairman of the Centro das Indústrias do Rio Grande do Sul (CIERGS) and with the chairman of the Management Council of BSBIOS Antônio Roso. They have begun a joint action in the sense of sharing the gaúcha ethanol production and food offer.

At the opportunity, the results of the first Social Systemic Balance which evaluates the impact of public politics implementation in the production of biodiesel in the state, from the experience of BSBIOS installed in Passo Fundo, was presented to the Minister and the Media. Professor Luis Henrique Rodrigues, of Unisinos, was in charge of the presentation. He emphasized that the industry is responsible for the manufacturing of 22% biofuel produced in the State this year. With a tripode based in social inclusion, crops diversification and regional development, the insertion of the product created an increase of the value aggregated of the family production. "Canola sales, used as raw material, exceeded from 51 thousand tons to 128 thousand tons between 2008 and 2009. Currently, about 6 thousand families are involved in the production. All process has created an impact of 1.3% in total regional Gross Value-Added", he asserted.

In the event, even a contract was signed in order to meet strategic orientations of project "The More Ethanol, The More Food", that will be developed experimentally in Rio Grande do Sul. The work, which will be accomplished by Institute Euvaldo Lodi (IEL-RS) e o MDA, will assess the economic feasibility of ethanol production from micro and small plants with family agriculture. The program arrives in the state as an encouraging agent to enable family producers in the sector of renewable energy.