Brazil and Japan reaffirm commitment to restore degraded lands to productive use

On Monday (20), Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, met with Japanese Ambassador Teiji Hayashi and the vice-president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Sachiko Imoto, at the Japanese Embassy in Brazil. They discussed the progress of the National Program for the Conversion of Degraded Pastures into Sustainable Agricultural and Forestry Production Systems (Programa Nacional de Conversão de Pastagens Degradadas em Sistemas de Produção Agropecuários e Florestais Sustentáveis - PNCPD).

"We are at a critical point in our collaboration. We will work together with JICA recover degraded areas. It is a sustainable plan, which ensures food security while respecting environmental concerns. Brazil is very proud of this cooperation," highlighted Minister Fávaro. Ambassador Teiji Hayashi also praised Japan and Brazil’s collaboration.

Through JICA, Japan will be the first country to contribute to the PNCPD, a leading project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa). The program aims to recover and convert up to 40 million hectares of low-productivity, degraded pastureland into arable land over ten years. This could practically double the area for food production in Brazil, without any deforestation in areas of native vegetation. 

This bilateral agreement was signed during a visit by the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, to Planalto Palace in Brasilia in the beginning of May. At the time, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted the ample potential of the bilateral cooperation. "For Japanese entrepreneurs looking to invest in Brazil, our country offers extensive possibilities for building collaborations between Brazilian and Japanese businesses," he emphasized.

THE COLLABORATION - Cooperation with JICA will follow two lines of action. First, under Financial Cooperation, funding will be provided for agricultural producers to convert degraded pastures into Sustainable Agricultural and Forestry Production Systems. Second, under Technical Cooperation, target regions and properties will be selected for implementation, research, development and innovation, and analysis of degraded pastures, risk factors for degradation, and technologies. 

The contribution amounts will be determined by JICA, with interest rates set between 1.7% and 2.4% in Japanese Yen. Repayment periods will range from 15 to 40 years, with a grace period of 5 to 10 years. The financial modeling and the reporting procedures are expected to be announced at the G20 summit in November.

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