Global production of RTRS certified soy continues to grow
A total of 4.6 million tons have been RTRS certified, ensuring sustainable production growth in 2020 and setting an exciting context for the year 2021.
The production of RTRS certified soy continues to grow around the world. With much effort and despite the Covid-19 pandemic, agriculture has managed to stand out. Balance figures from last year corroborate this trend. The sector produced a total of 4.6 million tons for more than 1.266.000 hectares in 2020, up from 4 million RTRS-certified grains harvested in 2019.
This significant increase (around 20%) shows that sustainable production has been gaining ground and prominence and has become a strategic pillar in the global grain stage. The market for certified soybean has been steadily growing every year in new countries and this is a proof of it.
In 2020, Brazil continued to top the list of countries with the highest levels of certified soy production, at approximately 3.7 million tons. Other relevant countries in the sector are Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay in Latin America, with a total of 248,000 hectares and 774,000 tons, and China and India in Asia, with a total of 41,527 hectares and 102,156 tons; in Asia, group certification stands out, promoting sustainable production of small and medium-sized soybean farmers, owners of an average of 2 to 3 hectares in India and approximately 3,000 hectares in China.
In this context, it should be noted that, in the last quarter of 2020, eleven new producers certified their production for the first time in Brazil and Argentina for a total of 286,588 tons of RTRS-certified grains.
Highlights in Argentina include Cosufi S.A., which produces more than 49,590 tons in 12,744 hectares, followed by Ledesma which produces approximately 24,000 tons of certified grains. Salentein Argentina BV – a company of Dutch origin established in the Entre Rios province – stands out for its 8,214 tons produced in an area spanning 3,184 hectares. In total, 40,436 hectares and 141,276 tons were certified for the first time in Argentina in 2020.
The major highlight among the new certified producers in Brazil is Grupo Hervalense, which produces over 90 thousand tons of certified soy across 23,709 hectares in the state of Mato Grosso.
Also noteworthy are Fazenda Verde Agropastoril Jatobasso and Fazenda Uirapuru. The former produces more than 30 thousand certified tons spread over 7,500 hectares and the latter produces more than 29,000 tons of grain carrying the RTRS seal across 6,404 hectares.
The RTRS seal is a guarantee of the commitment of multiple companies to greater sustainability, transparency and traceability throughout the soy value chain.
Based on the results achieved, and as part of its commitment to promote increasingly sustainable supply chains, the Association focuses its efforts on further consolidating the growth of economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sound soybean production, trade and use through an open dialogue between producers, civil society organizations and the industry.
