News and Media

28/07/2022

Farmer’s Day: essential professional for Brazil

This July 28^th is Farmer’s Day, an important date for Brazil. Not only because of the economic aspect, but also because of the social bias since agriculture is part of everyone’s daily life. People may not even realize or understand the importance of this professional, but much of the food on the Brazilian table has passed through the hands of a farmer.

But agriculture goes far beyond food, it also produces raw materials for countless inputs that are used on a daily basis. For example, ethanol, which comes from sugar cane or corn. Just like the paper, the eraser and the pencil used in offices and schools come from the management of trees. Clothes that are made of cotton, the wood of the furniture. In short, everywhere you look, you can see products that depend on this activity to become accessible to the consumer.

The date, instituted in 1960 by then president Juscelino Kubitschek, was created to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the creation of the Ministry of Agriculture by Emperor D. Pedro II. And over these 162 years a lot has changed. The field today is much more technological and efficient, which allows development to occur in harmony with preservation. Production is more sustainable than ever, and for this reason, we must praise this work, which sought to evolve and meet environmental concerns.

Even in the face of many adversities and challenges, these workers wake up early to produce the food or the raw materials necessary for the maintenance of our country. And it was in this sector’s prospect that Fiagril aligned itself and has been in the market for 35 years, always walking alongside the farmer. Therefore, we cannot fail to pay tribute to the farmer. And there is no lack of reasons to celebrate this moment, including the economic gains that the agricultural sector has been experiencing crop after crop.

Brazilian agriculture is an excellent exporter, and in 2021, even in the face of the crisis faced by the covid-19 pandemic, the agribusiness GDP grew 8.36%. Given the good performance of the aggregate agribusiness GDP that year, the sector reached a 27.4% participation in the Brazilian GDP, the highest since 2004 (when it was 27.53%). According to Cepea researchers, the primary and input segments stood out in 2021, with increases of 17.52% and 52.63%, respectively.

Farmers experienced great uncertainty in late 2021 and early 2022, due to widespread shortages of inputs because of problems in the industry supply chain and the war between Russia and Ukraine. To overcome these problems, Fiagril exponentially increased direct imports and anticipated shipments, a strategy that proved successful. Thanks to these moves, all customers were served on time and were able to carry out their operations in the fields.

The success of the farmer means, also, the success of the company. With great commitment from our team, we expanded our customer base, consolidated two branches in Tocantins, opened another unit in the Mato Grosso municipality of Alta Floresta, and consolidated ourselves as one of the five biggest players in the sector today.

All these achievements are only possible due to the farmers’ trust in our company. So, on this July 28^th, on the Farmer’s Day, Fiagril celebrates, but also wants to take the opportunity to thank for everything we have managed to build together until now. This is a story of success, partnership, credibility, and responsibility.

Our thanks to you, farmer! You are essential to Brazil!

*Henrique Mazzardo is a CEO at Fiagril’s