BP Bunge invests more than BRL 100 million in digital transformation project in the field  

BP Bunge Bioenergia, one of the country’s leaders in the ethanol, sugar and bioelectricity markets, is investing more than R$100 million in a digital transformation project to boost its operational efficiency strategy, which includes increased productivity, cost reduction and even more sustainable processes. One of the highlights in this regard is rural connectivity, with the construction of 98 4G towers, in partnership with TIM, which will bring internet access to 3 million hectares in the regions of the 11 units where the company operates in five states ― Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, Tocantins and Minas Gerais ―, making it the largest rural connectivity project in the country. The benefits generated impact more than 105,000 people in the 46 municipalities surrounding the company’s units, including 65 schools ― 53 of them public.

On Friday (26/04), the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, visited the Itapagipe plant to take a closer look at part of the 41 towers active under the project in the state, which will help advance internet access near the cities in Minas Gerais where BP Bunge Bioenergia units are located ― Ituiutaba, Frutal, Santa Juliana, as well as Itapagipe ― reaching 43,000 people in 18 cities.

Geovane Consul, CEO of BP Bunge, explains that this digital transformation process is strategic and contributes, in different aspects, to supporting the company’s sustainable growth plans. “We have an agenda of commitments that guide our journey of evolution and this strong investment in technology is an important step towards digital transformation, which will allow us to advance more and more in agricultural and industrial operational excellence; to act even more effectively in the management of natural resources; to contribute to the development of the local communities where we operate, among other objectives set for the business,” says the CEO.

Consul also stresses that the initiative makes important contributions to the country, considering the importance of agribusiness to the Brazilian economy and the sector’s potential for growth by expanding connectivity in the countryside. “The transformative power that large agribusiness projects like the one we are developing can have on communities is huge, with real impacts that change people’s lives and the dynamics of local economies,” he added.  

Alberto Griselli, TIM’s CEO, comments that this project is part of a movement of continuous investments made by the company since 2018 with the aim of expanding connectivity in Brazilian agribusiness. “TIM wants to be the main enabler of digital transformation in the country, and to this end it has partnered to have solutions that contribute to boosting productivity in key sectors of the economy, especially agribusiness. This makes us strategic and fundamental specialists. Partnerships between agribusiness and technology companies, such as BP Bunge and TIM, for example, are increasingly becoming a reality in order to offer integrated solutions. TIM’s commitment to offering quality connectivity and solutions adapted to the specific demands of rural producers positions the brand as essential in the assertive journey towards the agriculture of the future,” he explains.

A partner of BP Bunge in Brazil’s largest rural connectivity project, TIM is the leader in the countryside, with more than 16 million hectares connected to 4G. The expectation for 2024 is to grow by another 4 million hectares (double the target set for 2022), reaching the mark of 20 million hectares connected. Today, the company benefits more than 1.3 million people with the 4G TIM in the Field project, in more than 676 municipalities in 14 different states.

Connectivity: key to advancing in digital transformation for productivity and security

The advance of connectivity in the field keeps BP Bunge aligned with the current scenario of Brazilian agribusiness, which stands out worldwide for its highly technological structure and adoption of cutting-edge techniques on different fronts.

With the expansion of internet access in its units, technological resources already used by the company will be enhanced, generating greater agility, precision and expanding access to data in real time, which has an important impact on operational excellence. The company already has technology embedded in around 1,200 pieces of agricultural and transport equipment connected to an integrated logistics management center (SmartHub), which is equipped with Agriculture 4.0 resources and promotes operational management based on data and the use of artificial intelligence. This center monitors all planting, cultivation, harvesting and transportation operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as irrigation and fertigation processes in the sugarcane fields, guaranteeing industrial supply with greater safety, quality and operational excellence.

In addition, digitalization is also an ally in the processes of detecting and fighting fires in sugarcane fields, an area in which investments total around BRL 30 million. The Brigada 4.0 program has a satellite monitoring system that warns of favorable weather conditions for the spread of fires, and uses high-definition thermal cameras installed in observation towers that detect fires quickly.

“With these initiatives, over the last two years, the company has managed to achieve an average reduction of 52% in areas burned per hectare and 50% in the number of fires in areas close to the group’s 11 mills. The trend now is that we will be able to boost these results even further,” Consul said.

Agricultural technologies in favor of regenerative management

The investments made by BP Bunge in digital transformation should also strengthen the company’s position as a benchmark in regenerative agriculture in the Brazilian bioenergy sector, a recognition achieved by the company’s continuous investments in the development and application of solutions and good field management practices aligned with sustainability commitments.

“With the possibility of increasing the digitalization of our operations, we foresee an improvement in operational quality, also in processes related to the practice of more sustainable agriculture. We will be able to access performance data in real time, favoring even more solid precision agriculture work, with faster decision-making related to optimizing the use of inputs, for example, with a more assertive view of which products used in our activities can be reduced or better used, thus collaborating with our goals in terms of reducing carbon emissions,” explains the company’s CEO.

The regenerative agriculture initiatives carried out by the company have already totaled investments of BRL 300 million over the last three years and have generated numerous productivity gains and cost reductions, as well as a reduction in carbon emissions, less dependence on importing agricultural inputs, in addition to an increase in productivity, which is expected to rise by 20% by 2025.

One of the highlights in this regard is the use of by-products from sugarcane processing on plantations, such as vinasse, ash and filter cake. Currently, of the 300,000 hectares under BP Bunge’s management, 86% already use vinasse for fertigation or localized application, with the projection of expanding this to 100% by 2025. Expanding the use of bio-inputs from fungi, bacteria and organic matter has also led the company to make progress in replacing mineral fertilizers with biological ones. In the 22/23 harvest, 100% of the planting area has already been replaced using the Nitrospirillum amazonense bacterium, which has generated a productivity gain of 7 tons of sugar per hectare.