Interview: Celso Vainer Manzato

As a follow-up to our post about Brazil’s sugar cane zoning proposals, Energy Refuge spoke to the Chief of the Environment Unit of Brazil’s Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Celso Vainer Manzato, about the ZAE Cana bill that could help Brazil decrease the carbon footprint of its flagship sugarcane fuel and reduce the impact that such crops have on the Amazon forest.

ER: What are the areas under the bill that are considered suitable for the cultivation of sugarcane?
CVM: The areas considered suitable are arable land, with no native vegetation cover and currently under agricultural use, with soil and climate potential to ensure economic production, with topography that allows mechanical harvesting (without straw burning), and not located in the biomes Amazon, Pantanal and High Paraguay River Basin. In addition, indigenous lands, nature conservation units, reforestation areas, mining areas, dunes, stony ground, mangroves, wetlands, and hilly lands were excluded.

ER: Will the passage of this law mean a reduction in deforestation levels of the Amazon rainforest and other areas of native vegetation?
CVM: Yes. Actual figures on the expansion of sugarcane show that this is concentrated in about 70% of land currently occupied by pasture and the remainder predominantly in land used for other agricultural uses. Additionally, the forecasted growth for the coming years is about 7 million hectares by 2017 (optimistic scenario) in a universe of more than 240 million hectares of land under agriculture and farming. Of these, about 34 million hectares of land currently occupied by pastures were indicated by the zoning. In addition, the development of second generation biofuels, using sugarcane bagasse pulp and other biomasses, would certainly decrease the demand for areas for sugarcane cultivation. With the passage of the law, the Amazon rainforest and other areas with native vegetation will be legally protected. However, the approval of the zoning by decree has already caused the postponement of studies and investments in non-indicated areas serving as reference for the sector’s growth, for the impact of the act on national and international society. Most of the productive sector supports many of the concepts used in the sugarcane zoning, especially on the current availability of land for expansion without the need for new deforestation.

ER: For comparison purposes, what is the current law governing the zoning of sugarcane in Brazil?
CVM: Currently, the planting of sugarcane for ethanol and sugar production follows the environmental restrictions of existing legislation. That is, the authorization for implementation of an industrial unit depends on environmental licensing by state environmental agencies in regard to environmental impacts (waste disposal, environmental risk of waste, emission of air pollutants, water supply, etc.), and socioeconomic impacts (population migration, public health, etc.). Once the implementation of the industrial plant is approved, the planting should observe the same restrictions on any agricultural crop, such as preservation of water sources, riparian forests, legal reserve, burning schedule, and others.

ER: The promise is to eradicate straw burning by 2017 in areas where mechanized harvesting becomes possible. What is the percentage of cultivation area represented and what is its impact on the carbon footprint of the Brazilian sugarcane ethanol?
CVM: For 2017, estimates of planted area and percentage of the harvested area with burning were based on projections from the literature and on the ban on straw burning before harvesting in mechanized areas. Based on these premises, Embrapa Environment estimates a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to the tune of 6 million tons of CO2 equivalent in 2017 when compared to 2008.

ER: How inclined are government and Senate to approve the bill?
CVM: There are only preliminary signs. There are favorable movements by the positive environmental impact of the measure, and its repercussions on national and international markets, and concerns about economic development in some areas where planting is prohibited. The bill represents genuine interests of society and reflects the character of an unprecedented government action for the territorial planning of an agro-industrial activity in the country.

ER: If the law is approved, how will its implementation be monitored?
CVM: The law as well as the zoning enforcement is based on the authorization for the industrial unit. That is, if there is no authorization for this setting up, there will be no sugarcane planting because there is no local demand (sugarcane transportation is only viable on a radius of 40 km from the industrial plant). Therefore, the zoning criteria are taken into consideration right from the stage of feasibility studies, approval of funding for the plant or its expansion, and environmental licensing for the productive unit. The other implications, such as deforestation and straw burning permit, are subject to surveillance by the environmental agencies and are implemented through adjustment of conduct.

ER: Are there groups of interest openly opposed to the bill?
CVM: Yes, there are reactions against the bill, which represent legitimate interests of Brazilian society supported by the legislation currently in force in the country. It is worth stressing that this is a normal reaction in face of the territorial planning for an agro-industrial activity, especially when we take into consideration the unprecedented character of the initiative in the country.

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