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"It was worthwhile believing in Veracel," says President Lula - 01.24.05
photo: Ricardo Stuckert
"Veracel is inserting Bahia and Brazil into an international level of competitiveness by producing pulp using the most advanced technology in the world." Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made the statement during his visit in January 21 to the mill construction site located in Eunápolis, Bahia. "It was worthwhile the leading in this project through the support of the Brazilian National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), not only because of its significant impact on the trade balance, but mainly because it is generating many social benefits," the president added.
"Veracel is a company that is committed to social responsibility and to sustainability," said the president of the company, Vitor Costa. He added that the mill was being built in record time thanks to the investments that had been mobilized and to the efforts of the construction workers. Construction of the mill, which will have the capacity to produce 900,000 tons per year of pulp, was begun in May 2003. Today, the project is 85% concluded. "Next May we will be inaugurating the mill three months ahead of the original schedule. It will be the largest and most modern pulp factory in the country, and duplication of the industrial plant already is foreseen," Costa announced.
photo: Ricardo Stuckertt
The ceremony was attended by a number of government authorities, including Ministers Waldir Pires (Transparency and Management), Jacques Wagner (Economic Development Secretariat) and Márcio Fortes, (interim, Development, Industry and Foreign Trade), the Governor of the state of Espírito Santo, Paulo Hartung, and the State Secretaries for Industry and Trade, José Luiz Garrido, and Agriculture, Pedro Barbosa, as well as mayors and congressmen from the region.
Also on hand were the President and Vice President of StoraEnso Latin America Division, Nils Grafström and Otávio Pontes, respectively; Keith Russel, Vice President of Investor Relations for StoraEnso; Carlos Augusto Aguiar, President and CEO of Aracruz Celulose; Carlos Vieira, Chairman of the Aracruz Board of Directors; the President of the Federation of Industry of Bahia, Jorge Lins Freire; and representatives of the shareholders of Aracruz — the Safra, Votorantim and Lorentzen groups — as well as Veracel directors, managers and employees.