ME: inaugurates Cooperative factories, but defers new investments

At the same time it prepares to inaugurate next Sunday four new or modernized industrial plants, intended for the manufacture of derived from soy, milk, feed and fertilizers, agro-industrial cooperative of Farmers of Southwest Ganesan (with me), the largest in the Midwest, starts 2015 with the cautious decision to postpone other investments that were designed to further expand its production capacity this year.
-Package units which will be inaugurated are part of a package of investments that totaled r $ 213.5 million in the last two years, as anticipated the value PRO, real-time information service of Value. Initially, It would invest a further r $ 80 million in 2015, but the plan was shelved for now. The reasons for suspending the contribution in building a soybean seed and mill in another oil refining unit are the uncertainty with the picture of the Brazilian economy in 2015 and low commodity prices.
Scenario-"the world stage when the matter concerned are agricultural prices. We don't know to what extent China will grow, and if Venezuela or Russia will continue being important consumers of agricultural products, "says Antonio Chavaglia, President of the cooperative, in an interview to the value. "We can lose with [the] Chicago, but also gain from the appreciation of the dollar. So, in the meantime, our new projects are shelved and we have to wait for the performance of the economy in 2015, "says.
Presentation-present in 13 municipalities of Goiás, the Me has already put into operation the new industrial units, which will be presented to approximately 800 members on Sunday-are 6.5 thousand altogether and 3.1 thousand employees who work in industries, in warehouses and in their stores throughout the State.
Revenue-investment effort made over the past two years must contribute, according to Chavaglia, to increase revenue from Me in about 7% this year, reaching the mark of r $ 2.8 billion. Recently, smaller cooperatives incorporated and joined Me in three new cities lines from Goiás.
Resources-the new industrial park was structured with the cooperative equity financing and taken by the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES). The drive that consumed more resources was a new soy crushing for manufacturing oil and soybean meal, whose construction required $ 79.6 million, used to triple to 3 million tons daily capacity of crushing Me. This unit will add up to another existing one, which renders 2.5 thousand tons per day.
Soybeans-soya derivatives segment, whose flagship is the bran, responds today for 65% of all the Me invoice annually. Chavaglia notes that the current price of soybeans, listed the $ 55 the sack in Goiás on vintage 2014/15, displaced horizonte uncertain for this market. In 2013/14 cycle, this value was r $ 60. "Our industrial park was obsolete, now we are ready to crush more soybeans and add more value, but will depend on the behavior of international quotation," says the Manager.
Derivatives-in addition to the $ 213.5 million invested in units that will be inaugurated Sunday, with me also shelled out $ 400 million in the last four, according to Chavaglia, to increase its capacity gradually agroindustrial, primarily in soy derivatives. The constant investment, despite uncertain economic periods, can be explained by the culture of cooperative members to reinvest much of the profits in their own cooperative, he says.
Export-Second President of Me, if the national consumer market won't absorb all production of the cooperative, as has happened in recent years, the cooperative can export part of their oil from soy or bran. Currently, sales of soybean oil of the cooperative meet especially retailers of Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo and the State of Goiás.
Fertilizers-fertilizers segment, It's investment was r $ 44 million, with the goal of doubling the supply of fertilizers to meet exclusively rural farmers associated. Now the new blender of raw materials used for the manufacture of potassium-based fertilizers, phosphate and nitrogen, can produce about 200 thousand tons per year.
Rations-with the new feed mill, the Me will increment the current production of the thread back to poultry and swine. In addition, will render feed for domestic animals like dogs, cats and fish, horses and rabbits, totally unprecedented market for Me. The budget for promoting this expansion was r $ 30,4 million, and now the factory can produce 120 tons per hour.
Milk-the Me also expanded its dairy, which in addition to dairy products like butter, cheese and dairy drinks, also acting in the field of long life milk.
Doubts-the me is not the only cooperative goiana which should suspend investment in expansion of production capacity in 2015. Harold Max, President of OCB Goiás, an organization that represents state cooperatives, claims that, on average, if there is growth of revenues to local cooperatives will not be something expressive. "The questions that affect the agri-business sector as a whole also arrive to cooperatives. The investments will be affected, "he says. (Economic Value)