Agreement between BNDES and Conab foresees studies to strengthen food supply in the country.

The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the National Supply Company (Conab), a federal public company linked to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture (MDA), signed, this Monday (18), a technical cooperation agreement for carrying out studies that contribute to strengthening the food supply sector. The initiative foresees the evaluation of data and information and the proposal of actions for innovation and improvement of existing public policies. Potential partnerships related to food supply in Brazil should also be identified. The formalization of the cooperation took place at the MDA headquarters, with the participation of Minister Fernanda Machiaveli. The Bank was represented by its Director of Planning and Institutional Relations, Nelson Barbosa, and by the Superintendent of the Infrastructure Solutions Area, Ian Ramalho Guerriero. For Conab, the document was signed by its CEO, Sílvio Isoppo Porto, and its Director of Operations and Supply, Arnoldo Anacleto de Campos. The BNDES's involvement will take place within the scope of the Project Structuring Fund (BNDES FEP). "The Bank will conduct a study with its own resources on the supply system in Brazil. We will evaluate how to improve it, using not only the references we have here in Brazil, but also international experiences. We will analyze what other countries do and whether or not this can be done in Brazil," explained Nelson Barbosa. "We will help Conab to format the large database on supply and storage and identify opportunities for public and private investment. This helps BNDES itself in its planning, because we finance several of Conab's projects. And it also helps Brazil to have a supply policy resilient to shocks, guaranteeing food at a fair price for the entire Brazilian population," added the director. Minister Fernanda Machiavelli assessed that the cooperation will result in concrete gains for the population. “We will rely on all of BNDES's expertise to analyze our supply infrastructure. We will focus on small markets in urban peripheries, on our supply policy, with the goal of modernizing Conab so that we have access to healthy food throughout our country.” Strategic Importance – Created in 1990, Conab's mission is to contribute to supply, food and nutritional security, production, income generation, and agricultural information in all Brazilian regions. The state-owned company has strategic importance in providing the Federal Government with technical information to support its decision-making regarding the development of agricultural policies. To this end, it provides information on national agricultural production through crop forecast surveys, production and storage costs, stock positioning, and market indicators. Recently, BNDES and Conab also signed a contract for the provision of specialized technical services for the diagnosis, evaluation, and structuring of a project to enhance the value of the state-owned company's real estate assets. The proposal is to requalify nine assets located in the Central-West region. Most of the properties are warehouses built in areas that have become urbanized, making it difficult to maintain their use for storage services. The Bank will be responsible for analyzing the suitability of each one. For Sílvio Isoppo Porto, the relationship with BNDES has been very positive. "We are taking important steps. All this structuring, these studies, these subsidies that BNDES will generate in terms of opportunity will be fundamental for us to be able to plan and have a very robust policy, with a very concrete intervention, in order to reduce food prices, create more efficient logistics and, above all, make a fundamental change in Brazil's food systems, guaranteeing real food, healthy food for the Brazilian people." Amazon Fund – Another area of joint action by the two companies is within the scope of the Forests and Communities: Living Amazon project. The initiative is promoted by Conab and fully funded by the Amazon Fund, which is managed by BNDES. The total is R$ 96.6 million, of which R$ 80 million involves a public call for proposals to support sustainable production by indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and family farmers in the Legal Amazon. Last week, Conab released the list of applicants deemed eligible. 

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.