News
Tree-farming program injects income into rural areas - 04.10.03
Veracel is bringing a tree-farming programs for fostering the planting of eucalyptus trees by private farmers to the municipalities of Belmonte, Eunápolis, Guaratinga, Itabela, Itagimirim, Itapebi, Porto Seguro and Santa Cruz Cabrália The program permits rural landowners in the region to become partner with the company for growing eucalyptus trees destined for future use in its pulp mill, to be built in Eunápolis. It is estimated that the program will generate income for farmers of up to R$ 485 hectare/year, depending upon the location of the property. The average financial return on farming and cattle raising activities in the region is R$ 200 hectare/year.
The program is open to landowners in all of the eight townships where Veracel is present. The selection of the areas considered adequate for forestry partners takes into consideration aspects such as location, topography and the existence of legal native species reserves. The program was the method encountered by the company to develop partnerships and to integrate farmers interested in supplying a portion of the wood that the future mill will require. Veracel’s Silviculture Manager, Wellington Blunck Rezende, emphasizes that it “creates alternatives for farmers to diversify their activities and provides an opportunity for those who do not want to invest only in cattle raising.”
According to Rezende, each hectare that is cultivated is capable of producing nearly 250 m³ of eucalyptus logs. And the financial return for the partner is guaranteed because the prices paid for the wood will be free of taxes and are established when the contract is signed. Furthermore, Veracel is responsible for financing and technical assistance, thus ensuring greater productivity. The areas being cultivated under the program will obey the same technical and environmental criteria that orient the company’s own plantations. Furthermore, Veracel will support the preparation of a project to obtain the appropriate permits from environmental authorities.
The partners program, like the cultivation of eucalyptus in general, provides another economically interesting aspect to the municipalities: the generation of jobs. On average the planting and maintenance of eucalyptus forests generates one job for every 40 hectares, well above the average of jobs generated by a cattle project, which is one employee for each 400 hectares. By 2008, Veracel expects to have 23,000 hectares of eucalyptus plantations involved in the program.