
Agriculture
Agribusiness
November 25, 2024
Brazil is on its way to becoming the world’s breadbasket
The country is one of the global leaders in the production of food, energy, and fibers
In 50 years, Brazil has gone from being a food importer to one of the world’s largest exporters. For José Otávio Menten, a professor at USP/Esalq and president of the Sustainable Agro Scientific Council, the country is now seen by the entire world as the nation that “can contribute the most to meeting future demands”. Watch the interview he gave to Soraia Fessel, for Revista Estratégias e Soluções (E&S), published by Editora Pecege, on this topic.
José Otávio Menten’s privileged insight comes from his fruitful career in the agricultural sector. A graduate of USP/Esalq, he completed postdoctoral studies in the Netherlands, Denmark, and England (Cambridge). In 1973, he joined the team of the newly created Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation). He also played important roles in different contexts: he worked at the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (USP/Cena), served as a city councilor, and acted as Piracicaba’s municipal secretary in two departments: agriculture and environment.
According to him, Brazil is one of the global leaders in the production of food, energy, and fibers, with the capacity to expand without deforestation, thanks to the existence of extensive areas of degraded pastures. There are about 40 million hectares that can be converted to agriculture, he counts. Menten credits Brazil’s leadership position to increased productivity, driven over the last 50 years by genetic advances and new technologies, in addition to the climate and soil quality of Brazilian territory.
Among the challenges the country faces, he highlights legal certainty and respect for environmental legislation; infrastructure and logistics; more investments in research and technology to develop local solutions; and value addition and diversification. “Expanding the processing and product portfolio is crucial to strengthen the domestic market and exports,” states Menten.
About the interviewee
José Otavio Menten is a senior professor at USP/ESALQ, a member of the Superior Agribusiness Council (COSAG/FIESP), president of the Sustainable Agriculture Scientific Council (CCAS), an agronomist engineer, master in phytopathology, and doctor in agronomy. He was executive director of ANDEF (National Plant Protection Association), a researcher (IAC, EMBRAPA, USP/CENA, and CNPq), a city councilor (two terms), and municipal secretary of Piracicaba (SP) in two departments, agriculture and environment.
Who published this videocast
Renata de Gaspari Valdejão Almeida







