Syngenta defines first unit for production of sugarcane seedlings
Valor Econômico
In Itápolis (SP), municipality of well-known relevance in the planting of orange, Syngenta will build its first sugarcane seedling production unit. The US$ 26 million investment was informed yesterday to the municipal administration of the city, located at 360 kilometers from the capital of the State.
The land was purchased in the beginning of this year, but the works should start in August, after the release of all licenses and also after the last engineering details of the plant are defined, according to Marco Bochi, director of new technologies for sugarcane of the company. The schedule set by Syngenta foresees that the plant goes into operation in the beginning of 2011.
The announcement ratifies the program of investments made by the company for the production of sugarcane seedlings, one of flagships of the company in the area of technological development all over the world, according to Bochi. In the end of 2008, the company disclosed the project, planned throughout the two previous years.
Syngenta intends to have sales revenues of US$ 300 million with the new seedlings up to 2015. The company will not produce the traditional sugarcane seedlings, which are up to one meter tall, only small, 3 centimeter tall seedlings. The use of this seedling in miniature, called Plene, can represent a cost reduction of up to 15%, according the company, since the costs with fuel used in the planting and also in the preparation of the soil is lesser.
The entire Plene project of production foresees up to four plants. In the announcement of the project, in 2008, the company said it intended to make the disbursements until 2010. Nonetheless, no dates have been established yet for the beginning of the works of the other plants, affirms Bochi. The project foresees investments of up to US$ 100 million in these four units - the value included the disbursement to be made in Itápolis. According to the director, no land has been acquired for new works yet.
From 2008 on, when it started taking the Plene off the paper, Syngenta developed pilot-projects with 70 plants that accepted to enter the partnership for the validation of the technology. John Deere has created a specific machine for the planting of the miniature seedlings. The planting with the traditional seedlings requires up to 20 tons per hectare. Syngenta seedlings, 1.5 tons.