Brazil is losing area to plant, says scientist

Former head of Embrapa, Evaristo Miranda says that agriculture has already sold 45 million hectares to other areas
by Viviane Taguchi, São Paulo (SP)

(Evaristo Miranda, during a presentation at the 12th Congress of the Brazilian Agribusiness - Photo: Marcelo Min / Ed. Globe)

One of the biggest discussions of global agribusiness, the supply of available land to increase food production and meet world demand, was one of the highlights of the 12th National Congress of ABAG, held on Monday (5/08), in São Paulo (SP). Brazil, touted as one of the largest holders of such land is arable, year by year, yielding areas from agriculture to other purposes.

The statement came from the agricultural scientist and former head of Embrapa Satellite Monitoring Evaristo Miranda. According to him, the country has lost 45 million hectares over the past 20 years due to the increasing number of indigenous lands, protected areas and urbanization (infrastructure works), and other 240 million hectares can still be reduced in the coming years. Of these, between 25 and 30 million hectares are occupied by Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) that will be reset after the completion of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).

According to Miranda, yet the conditions of Brazil will continue to increase food production, but these areas are not yet fully known and identified. "Speaking in area increase is fully justified at this time, because productivity has limits, technology has limits and the economy too," says Miranda. "There will come a point that producing more food will depend crucially on area expansion."

According to him, there are still many agricultural lands in places such as Maranhão and Piauí. "However, these sites are not plateaus, we must also think about how to ensure the production of these places, which has many hills," he says. "This leads us to conclude that any expansion areas should be adjusted with the infrastructure capacity of the country."

Source: Globo Rural magazine