Traceability Solutions for Fruit in Brazil
Brazil is the third largest fruit producer in the world, with a planted area of more than 2.5 million hectares and more than 44 million tons of fruit produced annually. The fruit industry is also employing over 16% of the entire workforce in Brazilian agribusiness. In the first eight months of 2021, Brazil exported a record volume of fresh fruit, equaling 614.8 thousand tons with a revenue of 590 million USD according to Secex. Brazil has the ability to provide consumers worldwide with a wide choice of fruits to add to their diets, however, they frequently face challenges with the exportation and traceability of their fruit which affects the overall consumption rate world wide.
The key in today’s world of fruit production is having the ability to find out where fruit and crops are produced and following its route through its entire transformation and distribution. By providing a platform for improved traceability and export, this can be the solution to increase fruit distribution around the world.
In order to reach the goal of feeding 9.7 billion people in 2050, we need to implement solutions now. Currently in 2021, over one billion people go to bed hungry every night, in the past five years this problem is growing, not shrinking. Our current methods further threaten food security, over 1/3 of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted in the process. Poor storage techniques, losses in transportation and border crossings, waste in the markets and grocery supply chain are all challenges that corporations, governments and farmers are continuously trying to solve.
Implementing traceability solutions for fresh produce is more than just putting a label on a package of fruit. By developing solutions for digitizing and automating the farm to fork process, we improve overall food safety and reduce food waste by increasing the flow of the supply chain. Traceability solutions over time can help improve yields, reduce cost and mitigate risk. By implementing these solutions, it will benefit all parties involved. From the farmer who can increase their production rate with specified solutions, to the region or government that is aiming to increase efficiency.
Supply Chain automation using blockchain solutions is essential to streamlining the export process in Brazil. Blockchain technology can be used to automate regulatory and shipping documents, national and international food certification documents, as well as compliance documents, in turn supporting the regulations and governance of the agro industry. IoT solutions such as ‘Track and Trace’ provide real time data and allow consumers and governments to see a digital footprint of the consumer goods, improving visibility and providing transparency. Utilizing track and trace solutions allow for pinpointing problem areas in the supply chain, minimizing produce loss and allowing more room for improvement and growth.
Food safety is another foundational step to improving the efficiency of exportation. This starts on the farm by helping the farmers maximize their farm through our Connected Farmer Platform. By improving farming knowledge through our application modules, it allows for improved food quality, yields, and farm to fork traceability.
Abrafrutas states that only 14% of fruit producers in Brazil are considered highly technified. One way to improve this number is by introducing more machine learning and AI solutions in everyday farming, simplifying and breaking down the information and making it accessible to all farmers. By providing solutions for farmers to help them understand how to produce more, or allow their crops to reach better standards than the year prior is important to achieve new farming standards and improve overall farming practices. By monitoring fields, detecting disease, soil quality and water outputs, and providing farmers with actionable data you can increase yields with the potential to take an extra 20% of fruit crops to market. Imagine the impact created by bringing these Machine learning solutions to farmers, and what this can do both for farmers lives, and the industry altogether. Blockchain overall can help the process and may indirectly help the farmers, but Machine Learning and AI solutions will help every day on the farm. Using emerging technologies such as Blockchain, IoT, AI/ML, and standards for Mobile and Cloud infrastructure open so many doors for improvement and development in the agriculture industry on all fronts, and provide a concrete basis for sustainable, long-term growth.
As we know, Brazil is the third largest fruit producer in the world. With the power of blockchain technology, it has the potential to become so much more. By incorporating these technologies into the fruit and agriculture industries, we allow for more transparent and traceable solutions to take place, which are crucial for long-term sustainability in the industry. Join us on our mission to transform the agriculture industry and see the potential of how our technology solutions can positively impact the industry in 2022.
Together, Abrafrutas and Dimitra can make great changes in the fruit and agriculture industry. Dimitra has years of experience driving agritech innovations. In partnership with ABRAFRUTAS, we are excited to explore how Dimitra’s technologies can be used to increase efficiency in Brazilian fruit farming, logistics and export. Abrafrutas Executive Director Eduardo Brandão mentions that “Today, only 14% of fruit producers in Brazil are considered highly technified. The partnership with Dimitra will certainly contribute to solving some technological bottlenecks in the sector and, consequently, help to change this reality”
Dimitra’s Latin America’s regional director Diego Costa says “he is honored to support the objectives of ABRAFRUTAS & Brazil to help feed the world, they are a leader in the fruit industry and an important partner in Dimitra’s South American expansion”. Abrafrutas represents fruit producers and exporters from all over Brazil. Its members represent more than 85% of the total fruit exported by Brazil.
Are you interested in learning more about our Machine learning solutions? Take a look at this video on our Connected Farmer platform to learn more about the farming solutions and technologies that we utilize:
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