JBS Novos Negócios has begun building its fertilizer plant at Guaiçara, in upstate São Paulo. With an investment of R$ 91 million, the project will create 450 jobs. The plant will have 51,000 m² and 150 direct Team Members when it comes on stream, which is likely to take one year.
The investment will see JBS become the first Brazilian food company to use organic waste generated at our plants to produce fertilizer. “This is our doorway into the agriculture market”, Nelson Dalcanale, president of JBS Novos Negócios, explained.
Susana Martins Carvalho, director of the fertilizer business unit, estimates that the segment will afford the Company even more innovation. “Our industrial process is hi-tech and it will add higher value to fertilizers while contributing to agriculture in Brazil”, the executive explains. “Currently, around 75% of fertilizers are imported. We will be suppliers of the product for major crops like soybean, corn, coffee and cotton, as well as vegetables and fruit”, she adds.
JBS Novos Negócios
In Brazil, JBS conducts its food sector-related business through JBS Novos Negócios. There are 11 business units, the majority of which use what would be a subproduct of food production to manufacture other products, including biodiesel, collagen, pharmacy inputs, personal hygiene and cleaning items, ingredients for animal feed and natural wrapping, contributing to more sustainable production methods throughout the Company. JBS Novos Negócios also provides supplementary services and products to the Company’s value chain, such as metallic packaging, a trading company, environmental management solutions and transport services.