Brazilian agribusiness companies and cooperatives that employ with social responsibility, focus on environmental sustainability and adopt ethical practices, such as combating bribery and corruption, were recognized for their good practices and received, this Tuesday (14th), in Brasília, the More Integrity Seal 2022/2023. The seal is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA). In this fifth edition, 27 companies in the agricultural sector received the award, of which 11 received certification for the first time, with the Selo Mais Verde. Another 16 entities renewed the certificate, winning the Yellow Seal. The best companies and cooperatives were chosen by the More Integrity Seal Committee, made up of private and public institutions, which analyzed the reports entered in the selection process, in 2022. The Alliance for Integrity in Brazil, which aims to encourage transparency and integrity in the economic system, makes up the evaluation committee. The institution’s representative, Alice Guimarães, said that “in recent years, several studies have shown that, in order to modify behavior, it is necessary to develop incentives and not just sanctions. Programs like this, which recognize companies that have good integrity practices, are an essential complement to a system that wants to promote effective changes in society.” During the ceremony, two honorable mentions were also given to associations representing the most awarded institutions. The president of the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB), Márcio Lopes de Freitas, points out that the award for the sector benefits far beyond the agro chain. “The Integrity Seal shows, it gives opportunity to our companies. It’s not just the government. It’s the consumer, it’s the housewife, when she’s going to make her choice on the supermarket shelf. It’s who is taking home that product is who makes this assessment of the profile of who is supplying the food. So, it is this guy who pays the bill that will demand more and more integrity, more transparency, ”he said. The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, which also makes up the More Integrity Seal committee, works to help agribusiness export and also to place companies in the sector in line with foreign investment. The president of ApexBrasil, Jorge Viana, evaluates the responsibility of the certification winners. “When a company commits to a program like this, it only has to take steps forward, it only has to improve. Because the company that is being honored today, if something is discovered tomorrow that affects its integrity, it will lose what it achieved today. This is good, because a company is made up of businesses, commercial activities, business activities, but it is led by human beings. And when we establish a rule, it helps us to get better. That’s what I hope happens to these companies that have earned this certificate, this seal. They will get better, they will not take a step back”, he said. In the social responsibility category, the company Baldoni Produtos Naturais, a honey producer based in Campinas (SP), won the More Integrity Seal. The winning project, in partnership with Instituto Anjos do Sertão, distributes 100 beehives to each of the 150 families selected in the municipality of Canto do Buriti (PI), with the aim of encouraging social entrepreneurship in the rural area through learning of a new profession, that of beekeeper. The representative of the company that won the seal for the 4th time, Daniel Cavalcanti, adds that, in addition to social gain, there is a focus on income generation, with the sale of honey, without forgetting the preservation of the environment and its diversity. “There are around 15,000 beehives distributed to all families, so that they generate pollinating agents [as abelhas] to optimize and improve the entire Caatinga biome and, in this way, encourage the regeneration of the flora and the maintenance of the local fauna.” The president of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front, Deputy Pedro Lupion (PP-PR), projected that agro production could triple in the coming years, while observing the environmental preservation laws. “The Forest Code is the most advanced law in the world in terms of the environment. We are in the important moment of the Rural Environmental Registry. And, mainly, we have the producer at the end, who is preserving, who is concerned with his water, with the quality of his soil, with the climate and with maintaining the management areas, of permanent preservation, the riparian forest for make sure we have quality products out there”. The executive secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irajá Lacerda, considers that recognizing the integrity of companies in the sector is a priority for the federal government”. Public administration has advanced a lot in recent years, and the Ministry of Agriculture has had a special highlight with activities and an intense agenda, in the area of integrity.” The Minister of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), Vinícius de Carvalho, present at the seal delivery ceremony, believes that the annual certification contributes to improving the image of Brazilian products internally and abroad and demonstrates more legal security in commercial negotiations. . “Our idea is to dialogue with society, with the market, so that we can take this step towards an increasingly integrated, increasingly ethical business activity. Able to offer Brazilian society a performance in the market that is a source of pride for all Brazilians, whether here in Brazil or for consumers of Brazilian products abroad as well.” The list of agribusiness companies and cooperatives and the awarded projects, announced in December 2022, can be consulted on the Mapa website.
Agência Brasil
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