“In poultry area, in the last five years there has been investment in industrial site adaptations and new works are on the way.”
Irineu Dantes Peron, production superintendent at Copacol
Irineu Dantes Peron is the production superintendent at Cooperativa Agroindustrial Consolata – Copacol and a veterinarian at the Federal University of Pelotas.
Copacol is located in the West and Southwest of the State of Paraná, with headquarters in the city of Cafelândia. The cooperative’s agricultural production covers an area of 250,000 hectares, focused on soybean, corn and wheat. Copacol’s main area of activity is poultry farming, with a slaughtering capacity of more than 700,000 birds a day.
AgriBrasilis – In 2021, Copacol achieved a 38% growth in revenue and reached US$ 1.55 billion. What is the role of production diversification in this context? What drives these results?
Irineu Dantes Peron – Production diversification plays a fundamental role in the socio-economic development of the region. Through the technologies used, it is possible for a region composed of farmers with a land structure considered small, up to 50 hectares in its majority, to have an economic performance that provides quality of life to those involved with the activity. It is this attractiveness that drives farmers’ interest in diversification. Thus, the cooperative grows and the farmer grows.
Copacol’s areas of operation and how much revenue each segment represents are as follows: Poultry – 56.99%; Cereals and inputs – 25.49%; Fish farming – 4.40%; Animal Nutrition – 4.37%; Swine and Dairy Cattle – 4.37%; Supermarkets – 2.19%; Retailers – 2.19%.
AgriBrasilis – How does the integration system with poultry farmers function?
Irineu Dantes Peron – It consists in a verticalized production system in which the cooperative supplies the necessary inputs for production, that is, day-old chicks, animal feed, among others. The breeding system is assisted by qualified professionals, aiming to promote good production practices and meet internal production plans. The focus is on the quality of the products.
In the integration system, cooperative members are remunerated for their productive efficiency. The parameters are feed conversion, batch viability and weight gain. Through these indicators, the portion referring to the remuneration of the cooperative members is established.
With the partnership system, the risks of market fluctuations for farmers are reduced, guaranteeing the purchase of all production. In addition to the Cooperative organizing the flow of production, it ensures slaughter and sales.
AgriBrasilis – In which areas are the Cooperative’s investments destined and why?
Irineu Dantes Peron – Our goal includes expansions in different areas of diversification: we are going to increase the storage capacity of grains and bran and carry out the expansion of the cultivated areas.
In pig farming, we are working on expanding the Piglet Production Unit in Central Santa Cruz. In the poultry area, in the last five years there has been investment in plant adaptations and new works are on the way. For fish farming, we are going to build a new Fingerling Production Unit; in addition, we adapted the industrial plant of the Fish Unit in the city of Toledo. With these strategies mentioned, investments reach US$ 195 million.
AgriBrasilis – Copacol exports to 76 countries. How much of the exported production is in compliance with Halal process? How does the process of obtaining this certificate work?
Irineu Dantes Peron – All our poultry production is done through the Halal slaughter system. We have a certifier that supervises and audits the entire slaughter process, with the certificate for the countries that import our product. More than 10 tonnes per month are destined for countries that require the Halal process.
AgriBrasilis – Today the market demands provenance, animal welfare and actions aimed at ESG. What has been Copacol’s performance in this regard?
Irineu Dantes Peron – Copacol is always up to date with the demands and requirements of consumer markets. We have traceability to guarantee the origin of our products. Animal welfare issues are covered in the procedures we adopt at all stages of production.
The ESG, which comprises environmental, social and corporate governance, is part of Copacol’s development and planning fundaments with the various stakeholders involved with the cooperative.
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