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 Fish farming is extremely complex: in technology, environment, in the way we act in the market, in the development of our supply chain. Developing a sustainable activity that is successful in the long run is to be able to manage the main aspects of this complexity. And, for me, the essence of success is in people. The right people, in the right place, evolving as human beings and professionals, discovering and putting into practice all their potential. As the company's CEO, caring for people is my vital role and I dedicate 60% of my time to it.
Another key factor of Mar & Terra is the quality and safety of what we produce. The Mar & Terra products have gained the confidence of the market because the consumer already knows the high quality standard of Mar & Terra and this is something that reinforces the bonds between consumers and Mar & Terra. The consumer knows that we are producing with the less possible impact to the environment and that we are the only company that is really concerned with the communities where we are located. I don't really care about how much we are going to sell now, because for me this is a consequence of what we do and of how people see us.
Our job is to dream and make incessantly and, by the time those dreams come true, we go back to dreaming again, in a cycle in which we can put all pieces of this complexity together and generate value to stakeholders.
I believe that, nowadays, it is of paramount importance that we have a guidance for the future. We must dedicate ourselves not only to think about the future of Mar & Terra, but also to the future of humankind in this planet. We need new answers for the global challenges that are posed everyday. Therefore, another great value for Mar & Terra is innovation. We maintain partnerships with universities and different research lines. We invest continuously in research and development of new technologies that generate value for Mar & Terra and society.
We extend this way of thinking to our supplier. We started developing the Pirarucu production in the state of Rondonia with outsourced producers. It transfers technology and changes the minds of those who work with us, so that they think and act the same way. There is no point in having someone thinking that low cost production is good, but ending up with several externalities for the society. One has to be very careful with what around is around him, with his employees, suppliers and the community. Producing something is, above all, an exercise of citizenship. We try to bring a wider vision that earning a little more money by polluting water and removing forest has absolutely no value. In mid and long run, there is not benefit for this person, nor for his children, grandchildren, future generations and not it contributes for what we are working for now. We are generating an alternative for areas such as the Amazon and the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, combining the economic activity, social development and environment preservation. We want to show that by practicing aquaculture in a balanced and responsible way will give the opportunity to have an income source for the Amazon people, for example, without leaving their homeland, without harming the forest or polluting the water. At the same time, we are building bridge between the producer and the consumer all over the world who is getting everyday more aware with the origin of the food he/she is consuming. We are training our partners to produce in a competitive way ad offering free technical assistance. And as a compensation, this partner has to follow a set of standards and conduct previously established with them, so as to have them assimilating this way of thinking and acting.
Fortunately, this is not only my point of view. The society, experts and people in general know that, in the next 20 years, humankind will face three great challenges: energy, water and food production. This will impact directly our activities. We are energy consumers as producers, processors and distributors. And water is our essential supply, as the same water of which the whole planet depends on, is the same freshwater that is used in food production. We have to be extremely cautious with this situation as we play a fundamental role and have the consciousness of the essential, of the challenge that it means to humankind and of the power we have to influence and change this reality.
It is from this consciousness and inside the concept of innovation for sustainability that we work. With regards to energy, for instance, besides striving to use renewable energy sources, we aim at making more using less. The current concept says that the more you spend, the more you produce. At Mar & Terra we are always looking for ways of answering to this challenge of how to produce more using less resources. And we talk to people at Mar & Terra and all of those who work with us. Therefore, for example, by installing a simple system of solar energy to heat the water used in the processing plant, we abandon the use of diesel for a clean and cheap energy source. As far as water is concerned, our objective is not to produce at any cost, but to product in a responsible way, with appropriate density of fish in the tanks, systematic monitoring of the water used and returning it to the environment, using feed that allow a good energy balance which results in a low residues in water and causing less impact to the nature. As for food production, our greatest challenge is to produce more food at affordable prices and with safety, quality, traceability and generating value for the entire production chain.
Mar & Terra is becoming increasingly important for the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and for Brazil because of the way we do things. Aquaculture is still an incipient market in Brazil but with a tremendous growth potential. As pioneers, we have the opportunity to spread good practices and a wide and integrative view to the entire sector and chain.
Jorge Souza
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