Dec 19, 2024
New Corn Ethanol Facility Announced for Mato Grosso, Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The Coopercotton Cooperativa Agricola announced earlier this week the construction of a corn ethanol facility in the city of Itiquira in southern Mato Grosso near the border with Mato Grosso do Sul. According to the cooperative, the total investment will be USD 150 million and the facility will have the capacity to process 1,500 tons of corn per day.
Members of the cooperative, which started 23 years ago, cultivate approximately 100,000 hectares of corn, which will be sufficient to supply the facility. In addition to corn, cooperative members cultivate 166,500 hectares of soybeans, 20,000 hectares of cotton and 82,600 head of cattle.
The facility will be located near a newly completed 4-lane highway and the Ferronorte Railroad. Construction is expected to start in late 2025 and take 24 months for completion.
The cooperative has solicited investors from the Chinese group LongPing High-Tech which is a seed company headquartered in the nearby city of Rondonopolis that specializing in corn and grain sorghum hybrids.
Mato Grosso is the largest soybean and corn producing state in Brazil as well as the largest corn ethanol producer. Corn ethanol production continues to expand in Brazil with the construction of numerous new corn ethanol facilities. Corn ethanol now accounts for approximately 20% of Brazil's ethanol production.