08/28/2008 15h36
Brasif starts producing alcohol in September
Valor Econômico - 08/28/2008
In September, the Brasif group, a closed corporation conglomerate, headed by Jonas Barcellos Corrêa Filho, who was born in Minas Gerais but lives in Rio, starts producing fuel alcohol in the municipality of Valparaiso (SP), in partnership with
Agropecuária Jacarezinho, owned by businessman from Rio Grande do Sul Alexander Grendene, controller of Grendene S.A. According to Barcellos, the new plant will grind 1.8 million tons of sugarcane at a first stage, producing 200 million liters of alcohol. The investment in this stage reaches R$ 300 million (US$ 191.1 million). In the second stage, the allocation of funds shall reach R$ 500 million (US$ 318.5 million), doubling the productive capacity of the plant until 2012. Barcellos said the planting of sugarcane was made in areas which were previously used for cattle raising and that the investment does not include the agricultural part because the land already belonged to both groups. Even though focused on the production of alcohol, the plant may also produce sugar, according to the market demand. The complex will generate energy from sugarcane bagasse, starting at 22 MW and reaching 40 MW, as informed Gustavo Fagundes, Officer of the Brasif group. The company already has a project for a second plant. The Brasif group became known in Brazil for being the controller of the Duty Free shops, located in the Brazilian airports, specialized in the sale of duty free imported products. The network was sold in March, 2006, to the Swiss Dufry, for US$ 250 million. But the main business of the group is sale and rent of heavy-load machines for construction, besides agricultural machines and forklifts. Brasif has worked in this area for 40 years and its income for 2008 is expected to be US$ 500 million.
