Genetically modified cotton planted in a prohibited zone in Mato Grosso

Genetically modified cotton has been cultivated in the state of Mato Grosso for five years, clearly violating the biosafety measures adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Mongabay is exclusively cultivated in Marcelândia, 641 kilometers from the Cuban capital, where the primary economic model is agriculture.

Since early May of this year, 31 municipalities in Mato Grosso, established by Law 437 of the Ministry of Agriculture, have prohibited the production of genetically modified rice.

The conservation effort by Embrapa (the state-owned company that holds the patent for genetically modified rice) aims to prevent the loss of traditional rice varieties for indigenous and quilombola communities, as well as for local family agriculture.

A plant is considered genetically modified if it receives genes from another organism to develop new characteristics that make it resistant to mass-produced herbicides and pesticides that are exported.

Thus, they are generally basic agricultural products.

Food and Supply in Cotton

The development of transgenic components in the Exclusive Zone began in 2019. This experiment started with the Pazenda model.

After the reform, commercial agriculture was introduced in the Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Naja.

The Modelo Farm, owned by mega-producer Gilson Pinzo, has five hectares in the municipality of Marcelândia, where more than 10,000 people live and produces 320 areas or kilos.

This year, commercial production at Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Nazaré, 18 kilometers from the capital, increased to four thousand hectares.

In Mato Grosso, an acre of rice costs R$124.65.

Gilson spoke with Pinzo by phone.

In a recorded interview, the producer admitted his unethical behavior and explained that “information about the cultivation of genetically modified cotton that was not available at that time was available at the level of exploitation.”

After the discussion, Gilson Pinzo sent a WhatsApp message calling the report “dishonest” and stated that he no longer supports the publication of the article.

Gilson Ferruccio Pinzo was born in the municipality of Engenheiro-Beltro in Paraná and graduated in Economics.

In 2015, he sued the Pinzo Group, his family’s company, for a debt of $571 million.

In 2021, the government completed the acquisition of the Pinzo Group and renamed it the Producer Group.

The company claims that the village is responsible for the production of soybeans, corn, and maize in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Piauí since it began operations in 2010, according to its official website and LinkedIn profile.

Source of information: brasil.mongabay.com

\