Sep 28, 2020

 The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) approved financing of R$ 200 million for Bem Brasil Alimentos S.A. to expand the industrial complex for processing fresh potatoes, in Perdizes (state of Minas Gerais). The Bank’s support will create 150 direct jobs, in addition to stimulating agriculture in Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Parnaíba regions. The initiative will have positive impacts on income, employment and tax collection for the region. 

The project foresees the implementation of a new production line for pre-fried potatoes and seasoned products based on mashed potatoes. Line IV will increase the daily processing of the Perdizes Industrial Complex by 140% – from the current 1,200 tons to around 2,900 tons. Bem Brasil Alimentos S.A. expects to grow its margins by increasing its production scale with positive impacts on its productivity and the dilution of fixed costs. There are even plans to export part of the production. 

The financing resources will be used in machinery and equipment, facilities (classification silos, packaging area and storage area), and civil construction to expand the industrial warehouse. The Bank's support occurs under the BNDES Finem program and is equivalent to 42% of the company's total investment, which would be R$ 474 million. 

BNDES Finem – It is the financing line above R$ 10 million aimed at investment projects in general. This support extends to practically all economic segments, having as one of the main evaluation criteria the social benefits of these initiatives. The financial conditions offered are also associated with BNDES’s support priorities. For the project in question, Bem Brasil Alimentos made use of BNDES Finem programs to stimulate food production and purchase imported goods without national equivalents.

About the proponent – Bem Brasil Alimentos S.A. is the leading national retail industry in the production of frozen pre-fried potatoes and dehydrated potato flakes. The company was founded in the city of Araxá (state of Minas Gerais) in 2006, and it was expanded to Perdizes (state of Minas Gerais) in 2017. With daily processing of almost 2,000 tons of potatoes, Bem Brasil has 680 employees on its staff and is indirectly responsible for the employment of another 5,000 workers. 

About BNDES – Founded in 1952 and currently linked to the Ministry of Economy, BNDES is the main instrument of the Federal Government to promote long-term investments in the Brazilian economy. Its actions are focused on socioenvironmental and economic impact in Brazil. BNDES offers special conditions for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, as well as social investment lines, directed at education and health, family agriculture, sanitation and urban transport. In situations of crisis, BNDES acts in an anticyclical manner and assists in the formulation of solutions for the resumption of economic growth.