Argentina has privileged status for bioeconomy

Argentina has a bioeconomy group that consists of 30 entities. They started to work as a group to support the adoption of biotechnology, following its approval at the end of the 90s to tackle glyphosate resistance.

 

They then invited companies and other entities to join this ambitious project related to bioeconomy. They were convinced that biotechnology was key to agricultural activities and ensured sustainable growth to farmers. They have the goal to be interlocutors between the public and the private sectors. 

 

They define bioeconomy as a tool of agriculture that covers both agricultural production and its derivative products. It represents environmentally friendly products, which result from defined standards of production, and are imported by countries with high demand for such “sustainable products.”

 

According to the group, Argentina has a favorable position in this green economy scenario of the future, because it is a major player with technical capabilities and biodiversity. They agree that it is necessary to develop the bioeconomy as an economic policy with regulatory measures and framework.

 

They believe that Argentina has a privileged status in bioeconomic issues as farmers produce diverse biomass with satisfactory quantity and quality. The country also has a real potential for bioeconomic growth, because products that were thought to be of no use have a current market willing to pay for them. In addition, countries that do not produce biomass must import it, and the transportation of unprocessed biomass is costly. Therefore, the bioeconomy is a real opportunity for development for the country, both for local and foreign investments.

 

They take Brazil as an example of a country that is already working on the development of the bioeconomy, as Brazil already possesses research and scientific papers related to this development. Currently, it is engaged in converting biomass into bioplastics.