A deal, worth a reported $500 million, to form a joint venture to produce ethanol from sugarcane has been signed between the US Archer Daniels Midland Company and the Brazilian Grupo Cabrera, it was announced yesterday (4th November). The joint venture will construct two processing complexes, each consisting of a sugarcane plantation, a sugar mill, an ethanol distillery and a biomass-powered cogeneration facility to provide power and steam. The complexes will be located in Limeira Do Oeste in the state of Minas Gerais, and Jatai in Goias. Upon completion, each mill will have crush capacity of three million metric tons annually.

"As the world’s need for food and energy grows, agriculture—and ADM—will provide renewable, responsible solutions," said John Rice, ADM executive vice president, Commercial and Production. "This joint venture will leverage the expertise of both participants to meet growing Brazilian demand for ethanol. Importantly, this partnership also advances ADM’s goals of diversifying our feedstocks and growing our global bioenergy business."

"Brazil has the ingredients required for sustainable agriculture: abundant arable land, ideal climate, and advanced agricultural technology," said owner of Grupo Cabrera and former minister of agriculture Antonio Cabrera. "Our partnership with ADM reinforces our commitment to the responsible production of renewable energy."