CONAB

The National Supply Company (Conab) is present in all Brazilian regions, following the trajectory of agricultural production, from planning to planting to reach the consumer's table. The Company's performance contributes to the decision of the farmer at the time of planting, harvesting and storing and continues until the distribution of the product on the market stage where the guaranteed minimum prices offered by the government is translated in abundance in supply and stimulate production. Transactions the Conab are coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). For these actions, the Company conducts studies and statistics of prices, as well as surveys of production costs of agricultural , the expectation of planting and harvesting grain, plus the volume and location of public and private stocks a range of products. The estimated sugarcane production and other relevant information are also extended to the coffee and sugar cane crop. As regards the definition of public policies for food supply in the country under the Minimum Guaranteed Price Policy (PGPM), the Company is responsible for its execution. The work is done through the Federal Government Acquisitions (AGF), an instrument capable of balancing the income of farmers, family farmers and their cooperatives, against fluctuations in the price in the market. In practice, this means buying agricultural products, forming stocks and sell them at the right time for settlement of the consumer market. In economies where agriculture plays an important role, for example, in family farming, there is concern in establishing policies of income support for the sector. The Brazilian government has mechanisms to correct distortions of their own activity. This is to reduce any excess supply, a critical period for the producer, or return the surplus to the market in the offseason, thus mitigating the impact of the rise in consumer prices. This set of actions that reflect the practice of PGPM is an important tool to boost agriculture, and regulate the food supply of the country Storage is a strategic area of ​​supply. And to Conab, the activity goes beyond the safekeeping of products. And joints are actions that involve the study, planning and administration, including, for example, the management of the National Register of Storage Units, showing where Brazilian warehouses are, how many there are and what their static capacity. The Programme for Food Acquisition (PAA), in which the government buys the family production at adequate prices, uncomplicated and without intermediaries, also has effective presence Conab in its implementation, in partnership with other government agencies. The EAP aims to overcome the biggest challenge for farmers who sell the produce is remunerative and compatible with market prices. The sale of public stocks through legal processes, such as electronic auctions, is also another assignment of the Company before the market. Those who have limited access to this type of operation in the case of small farmers and micro agribusinesses, Conab offers the option of Sales Program Counter. For this support instrument, the Company defines the quantities of products such as corn, paddy rice and other necessary these economic activities. It is also the state that organizes and sends baskets of food that the government federal intended to communities affected by climatic adversities. The service extends to communities experiencing food insecurity in Brazil, such as indigenous and maroon and abroad, victims of disasters such as the earthquake that shook Haiti and the tsunami that wiped out countless lives in Indonesia. Many products that make up the baskets of food distributed by the Company are from family farms, purchased with funds from the PAA. The integration purchase of household production and distribution of food decreases the cost of the baskets and increases the number of people served.Thanks to its experience in logistics supply, Conab coordinates the structuring of wholesale product markets food to improve its performance. So it has been with Brazilian Program of Modernization of horticultural Market (Prohort), which includes the Central Supply (Ceasas) throughout Brazil. With a focus on lower-income population, the institution is deploying Solidarity Network for Strengthening the Family Trade Commodities (Refap) and, together with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Fair Fish. In both cases, the proposal is to support the infrastructure of distribution and sale of products, so that the small retailer and artisan fishermen have lower costs and guaranteed income and can sell cheaper products to the final consumer. The National Supply Company has a conventional structure, with the Board of Directors, Audit Committee and the Board and executes these programs, led to nationwide, through its Regional Offices, located in the states of Amazonas, Acre, Alagoas, Amapá, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Piaui, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia, Roraima , Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Tocantins. Related to them, there are 96 Warehousing Units (AU), as conventional, bulk carriers, refrigerators, port, capable of storing various agricultural products and ensure food supply to population warehouses.