Last year the total turnover of the program was almost US$29 million which was generated from more than 3, 000 contracts with small, medium and large farms covering nearly 81,000 hectares of private farm properties. It is estimated that the initiative has also been responsible for the creation of some 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in rural areas.
“Besides being another source of income for the participating farmers, the Forestry Partners Program has also had a beneficial effect on the environment as it helps maintain native forests,” said Aracruz president and CEO Carlos Aguiar, referring to the fact that the program helps reduce the pressure from some sectors of society that cut down native forests to obtain lumber for other purposes, such as charcoal and firewood.
Aguiar explained that when the program was created 15 years ago, Aracruz was self-sufficient in eucalyptus wood. However, future growth projections indicated that it would be useful to change the wood supply model to include local farmers.
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