Netafim intends to double size in Brazil
Valor Econômico
Going under the land and the asphalt to get to public worksites, by roads and plantations, irrigation pipes connect the most different areas of the territory of Israel. The technology that guarantees a green landscape even in times of drought in the Israeli territory was developed 44 years ago in a kibutz, an agricultural community typical of the country, and patented by the company Netafim. Today, the technique is one of the foundations for the rational use of the water in the country that has few natural sources of the resource available and irrigates 98% of its agriculture.
Netafim manufactures its products in Brazil for nine years and, against the market, it foresees growth of 15% in sales in 2009. It is a smaller growth than last year's, when the income was 40% greater than in 2007, getting to US$ 40 million. The performance is, however, much greater than the expected for the sector in the country, which foresees a decline of up to 30%, according to the Brazilian Machinery Manufacturers Association (Abimaq).
"We believe it will possible to double our market in Brazil in five years", says Marcelo Baratella, marketing manager of Netafim Brasil. The expectation is to increase its participation in the sugar-cane culture, which currently represents only 10% of the businesses of the company in the country. "It is a market that has grown more in the last three years due to the biofuel", says Baratella. The company, which has a plant in Ribeirão Preto (SP), also has its eyes on the public projects for the irrigation of the Northeast, as it is the case of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for irrigation of Pontal, in the municipality of Petrolina, in the State of Pernambuco. In 2008, the 40% growth of the company in Brazilian territory was greater than all over the world, where the sales increased 19%, achieving US$ 650 million. The main markets in which Netafim operates in Brazil are coffee (35%) and citric fruits (35%).