Procaña celebrates 40 years of its foundation with the launch of an initiative that will promote the learning of sustainable practices by growers.
The Innovation Fund for the Sustainable Development of Colombian sugarcane is the new bet of the sugarcane growers in the region to strengthen sustainability as an attribute of the sugar sector.
It is an initiative promoted by Procaña on the occasion of its first 40 years, as a contribution to the competitiveness of agribusiness. According to Martha Betancourt, executive director of the union, “our objective with the Fund is that just as farmers voluntarily contribute to Cenicaña for innovation and development, they also make a voluntary contribution to work on sustainability from the implementation of sustainable practices, and that way they can verify that sustainability is profitable ”.
The Fund will raise resources for the teaching and implementation of sustainable practices by growers and will channel contributions to entities that are working on the issue with communities. "We don't want to invent anything. Currently there are many and very good efforts of different entities, so our proposal is to support those who are already operating, "added the executive director of Procaña.
The Fund has already been legally constituted and for its commissioning there are letters of intent for contributions of approximately 15,000 hectares. The Fund will operate as an independent entity and the contributions of growers (affiliated and not affiliated with Procaña) will correspond to 0.35% of sales of sugar and ethanol, as well as will attract resources from international organizations.
The Annual Meeting
On June 12, the XL Annual Ordinary Assembly of Affiliates of Procaña was held, in which the union presented a balance of its management, the results of the Pacific Alliance summit and the expectations of the Peace Agreement. President Juan Manuel Santos sent a letter in which he expressed his commitment to the farmers dedicated to the cultivation of sugar cane. "Procaña's work by all the links in the agro-industrial chain - cultivators and industrialists - has allowed this productive cluster in the geographical valley of the Cauca River to generate more than 188 thousand jobs in activities associated with this agro-industry in 47 municipalities in the region", he specified in the letter.
KEEP IN MIND
Bonsucro is the only certifying company in the world for the sugar cane industry, which recognizes sugar and ethanol produced in a responsible and sustainable way.