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Speakers at the meeting included Pablo Poeta, Commercial Sustainability Manager for Argentina and Uruguay at Bayer S.A.; Victoria Capalbo, LDC Regional Head of Sustainability; Héctor Di Loreto, Development Manager of Agrofina; Federico Ucke, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Manager at Molinos Agro S.A. and Erica Siegrist, Executive Director and Quality Manager at GreenLab. I moderate the panel Rodolfo Rossi, former president of Acsoja.

The Webinar was moderated by Rodolfo Rossi, Former President of Acsoja, who made a brief introduction in which he highlighted the importance of the topic that, although it seems hackneyed at some point because there is usually a lot of talk about sustainability, is undoubtedly a priority for the Chain and there is much that is being done in this regard and that it is essential to communicate. This meeting is an opportunity to show the commitment of companies and the focus they are giving specifically to environmental sustainability. At the same time, it is important to mention the impact of new technologies and digitization that companies are using, tools that add to the whole. Another point to take into account is that of export certifications for Argentine companies.

The talk was then opened by Pablo Poeta who showed the key initiatives that Bayer has with the commitment to work on sustainability; "At Bayer we have divided it into two major stages: the first from here to 2030 and the other from here to 2050"

“By 2030, a scheme of 30% – 30% – 100M is proposed: 30% reduction of greenhouse gases by measuring the number of tons of carbon that a crop can fix in the soil; 30% reduction of the impact on the environment, through the production of better crops and with fewer natural resources and 100M that refers to sustainable agriculture solutions for the small producer through access to training, digital tools and agricultural solutions .

He also mentioned the key initiatives that the company has through various programs such as “I apply responsibly”; program certified by IRAM 14.310 Standards, "Bayer Forward Farming" that deals with sustainable agriculture in action with social responsibility, environmental responsibility and economic result; "Plastic" where the reduction of the use of plastics is worked on and I highlight the "PRO Carbono" program, according to him, the largest Carbon program in Argentine agriculture. This program, through good practices based on the optimization of the use of resources, efficiency of new technologies and digitization, seeks profitability; the productivity; more carbon in the soil; generation of biomass and greater biodiversity.

On her side, Victoria Capalbo, from LDC, also highlighted the importance of the issue and remarked that "sustainability is an issue that is constantly on the table of companies and producers." In turn, he commented on the Platform recently created by the LDC with the aim of leading efforts for decarbonization, promoting the reduction of emissions and the elimination of carbon in food and agricultural supply chains, helping to meet the climate objectives set by the international community.

Along these lines, I comment that in February 2022, LDC announced its commitment to eliminate deforestation and conversion of native vegetation of high conservation value for agricultural purposes from all its supply chains by the end of 2025. To achieve this, it is essential to reduce emissions from the value chain that encompasses all the products that the company sells, not just soybeans.

Regarding exports, he spoke of the importance of certifications since LDC is committed to increasing the percentage of sustainable soy processed in General Lagos and to enter markets such as the United States or Europe, it is a requirement to have certifications. This is why the LDC Conversion-free Soy Program and the LDC Program for Sustainable Agriculture {recognized by FEFAC} are underway.

To conclude, she stressed that it is essential that not only companies advance on issues such as the above, but that there is participation of all the links in the value chain with a multisectoral, public and private approach. “So that with the support of the government we can ensure our permanence in the increasingly demanding international markets such as EUROPE and the USA. SUSTAINABILITY is part of how things are done every day. A few years ago, it was optional. Today it is the way to be able to do business, without generating an extra economic income. Example BIODIESEL to Europe”. → ruralnet.com.ar

Automatic translation from spanish.