Dimitra Collaborates on Digitization of the Colombian Panela (Sugar Cane) Sector
Dimitra Incorporated and The National Federation of Panela Producers sign a sweet deal
March 24th, 2022
BELIZE CITY, BELIZE — Dimitra Incorporated, a global Agtech company on a mission to make its Dimitra Connected Farmer platform available to smallholder farmers globally, is working together with The National Federation of Panela Producers to help them achieve the modernization and sustainability of the sector.
The National Federation of Panela Producers, also known as Fedepanela, represents the entire Panela sector in Colombia and knows the reality and needs of the sector, as it has been working for more than 45 years to develop the sector and empower the farmers.
What is Panela?
Panela (also known as Rapadura or Brown Sugar) is made from sugar cane. Panela sugar is an unrefined non-centrifugal sugar derived from sugar cane juice and is characterized by its caramel-like colour and high molasses content. This sugar industry is comprised of mostly smallholder farmers. After coffee, the panela sector is the second largest agroindustry in social importance in Colombia, operated by more than 350,000 families. The sector is present in 29 of the 32 states and more than 50% of the Cities in Colombia. It has a planted area of 206,479Ha, more than 75,000 farms, generating more than 377,805 jobs per year. The country supplies 10% of the world’s production of panela!
Dimitra will provide knowledge and technology to help revolutionize the Colombian Panela sector. Through the use of Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Drones and Satellite Images, Dimitra seeks to help farmers produce better quality yields with less cost and greater productive predictability.
Together, Fedepanela and Dimitra will deliver cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights to farmers, allowing them access to information and guidelines that help improve their profitability in an increasingly sustainable way through Dimitra’s application.
The first step of working together will involve conducting a field test in the next few months. Since Panela is a product with a high social impact in Colombia, this partnership is expected to greatly reduce poverty, fight hunger in Colombia and other countries, and contribute to the increased Colombian GDP.
Fernando Mahecha Aguilera, Dimitra’s Colombian Sales Partner, says, “Signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Fedepanela and Dimitra Technology, represents Colombia’s entry into the use of agrotechnological techniques that will bring our agriculture, livestock, and fish farming to precision levels, raising the production, reducing costs and mitigating risks, achieving a quantum leap thanks to the democratization of knowledge in the rural sector for small and medium growers, which will provide them with better standards of living by taking them by the hand and directly to the agro-industrialization of its products, putting them in contact with international markets. Our “Connected Farmer” application is this and much more for our society and the rural world.”
The National Federation of Panela Producers of Colombia — Fedepanela, says, “We have decided to sign a Memorandum of understanding with Dimitra Technology because it is the best alternative that allows us to innovate in the sector, which enables us to enhance the productive and sustainable development of our producers.”
Dimitra is a global Agtech company with a mission to help smallholder farmers across the world. Dimitra works with governments, government agencies, NGOs, and for-profit organizations. The Dimitra platform is built on blockchain technology and incorporates mobile technology, machine learning, IoT devices, satellite and drone imagery, genomics, and advanced farming research. Through our data-driven approach, Dimitra helps farmers increase yields, reduces expenses, and mitigates risk. Dimitra believes that every smallholder farmer should benefit from simple, beautiful, and useful technology regardless of economic standing.
Fedepanela It is a non-profit union entity representing the Paneleros producers from all over Colombia. Its main objective is to promote the improvement of the standard of living of all the producers who work in the Panelero subsector, to make this activity competitive and profitable, defend the collective interests and the remunerative income of its members, as well as contribute to technological development, social, commercial and environmental aspects of the national rural sector.
Press Contact: If you have inquiries about this news or to get in touch with Dimitra Incorporated, contact info@dimitra.io.
Our Partner in Colombia, Fernando Mahecha Aguilera, just signed a MoU with The National Federation of Panela Producers (Fedepanela in Spanish).
