en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has approved a 60.5 million reais financing for Coamo Agroindustrial Cooperativa to expand grain storage capacity and improve logistics infrastructure at two units in Paraná state.

The funds will be used to build five silos with a total capacity of 32,700 tons at the corn ethanol plant in Campo Mourão, located in the central-west region of Paraná. The project will also expand the Rio Ivaí unit in São João do Ivaí, northern Paraná, adding two silos of 10,000 tons each, and improving drying and transport systems to increase the unit's current capacity from 40,000 tons to 60,000 tons.

The total investment for the Campo Mourão project is estimated at 41 million reais, with 32.8 million reais allocated for new domestically manufactured machinery and equipment, and 8.2 million reais for civil works. The five silos, capable of storing 545,000 bags of 60 kg of corn, will be built adjacent to the cooperative's industrial park to meet the growing corn delivery demand from cooperative members in the region and ensure the supply of raw materials for the corn ethanol plant.

The plant, with a daily corn processing capacity of 1,700 tons, will produce 765,000 liters of ethanol per day, along with by-products such as 510 tons of DDGS (for animal feed) and 34 tons of corn oil (for biodiesel production). This investment adds value to the production of cooperative members, whose products were previously sold primarily in raw form, and will now expand the industrial processing of raw materials.

At the Rio Ivaí unit in São João do Ivaí, 23.2 million reais will be invested to build two silos of 10,000 tons each. The project also includes installing dryers, replacing conveyor belts, and installing flow controllers in the silo tunnels. The expansion will increase the unit's static storage capacity from 663,000 bags to 997,000 bags, enabling smooth receipt of agricultural products and maintaining grain quality while farmers wait for better sales conditions.

The BNDES financing was approved through the Warehouse Construction and Expansion Program (PCA) and the Agricultural Value-Added Cooperation Development Program (Prodecoop), both using funds from the Agricultural Harvest Plan. In addition to BNDES credit, the investment includes the cooperative's own funds.

Airton Galinari, CEO of Coamo Agroindustrial Cooperativa, expressed gratitude for BNDES's support for both projects, noting that after completion, they are expected to create 239 direct jobs, thereby contributing to the corn industry chain in Paraná and the country's food and energy security by producing renewable ethanol and by-products for animal nutrition and the biofuel industry.