Lula states that “biodiesel is here to stay”

During APROBIO‘s honor, ex-president defends biofuel expansion in the country and says that the Biodiesel Program's purpose is to grow

The ex-president of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, asserted yesterday (8/2) during honor of the Association of Biodiesel Producers of Brazil (APROBIO) in São Paulo, that "biodiesel in Brazil is a one way road. It is here to stay. The purpose of this program (National Program of Production and Use of Biodiesel - PNPB) is to grow".

APROBIO and the Brazilian Union of Biodiesel and Biokerosene (UBRABIO) gathered hundreds of businessmen, farmers and authorities linked to the sector of biodiesel to honor the ex-president on the occasion of both entities anniversary.

Lula was emphatic when defending the Brazilian energetic matrix diversification, with the improvement of biofuels production and alternative sources of renewable energy. "We will not stop investing in the improvement of the air in our city and people's quality of life just because we have pre-salt", he said.

The ex-president emphasized how important it is that the country is not linked to foreign automotive industry that, as for his comprehension, "is concerned with the performance of their engines but not with air quality". To him, if this is the trend of the international industry, Brazil has to invest in its vocation and potentials."What about our thinking? Why cannot we have a truck which is 100% biodiesel?" he asked.

Patron

In his speech at the ceremony, the chief executive officer of BSBIOS and president of APROBIO, Erasmo Carlos Battistella, called Lula the "patron" of biodiesel in Brazil. "And president Dilma is the godmother", he said, referring to her work as a minister of Mines and Energy and later Chief of Staff in Lula's government, that in January 2005 launched the PNPB.

Yet, Lula defended the diversification of production sources of biodiesel, by saying that he always bet in castor bean and jatropha curcas. Although the country still has to develop more technological researches to improve the production of these oilseeds, as he observed in his speech, this is one of the vectors of APROBIO's work. The president of the entity is also vice-president of the Brazilian Association of Canola Producers, another alternative source for the processing of oil and green fuel production.

Lula said that he had never dreamed about soybean as source of biodiesel because he thought the grain oil supply to the industry was guaranteed. "I know what I had been through abroad, in Africa mainly; to explain that biofuels do not compete with food offer - remembered the ex-president -. We always wanted to guarantee food for people, without damaging investments for a less pollutant new source of energy, which has great social benefits. The ex-president referred to the Social Fuel Stamp, created by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) when Miguel Rosseto was the minister, today he is the president of Petrobras Biofuel and the Management Council of BSBIOS, he was also present at the ceremony. The Stamp guarantees fiscal incentives to the plants that purchase at least 30% of raw material of biodiesel from family agriculture and today it benefits 104 thousand families.

The president of ABRABIO, Odacir Klein, president of his Council, Juan Diego Ferrés, the vice-president of APROBIO, Adilton Sachetti, and more than 20 associates of APROBIO, besides Rosseto and Battistella, also participated in the honor to the ex-president of UBRABIO, Odacir Klein. The governor of Sergipe, Marcelo Déda, senator Blairo Maggi, who represented the governor of Mato Grosso, Sinval Barbosa; and the representatives, Jerônimo Goergen, president of the Parliamentary Front of Biodiesel, and Helvino Bohn Gass were among the authorities. Also, the ex-minister of Industry Commerce and Development, Miguel Jorge attended the ceremony.

The president of the Biodiesel Producers Association of Mato Grosso, Silvio Rangel, the president of the Fuel and Lubricants Distribution Companies Association (Sindicom), Alísio Vaz, directors of Petrobras and National Agency of Oil, Gas and Biofuels were also present.

Check part of the ex-president Lula's speech during honor he received from the producers of biodiesel, associations of APROBIO and UBRABIO, yesterday (08/02), in São Paulo. He asserted that current president Dilma Roussef also believes in the continuity of the National Program of Production and Use of Biodiesel and that he wants to see the bus riding with biodiesel at the Olympic Games in Brazil.