Sunday, July 13, 2008

Soy, Mato Grosso


From "Lake Maria" to Bosque Santa Lucia is about 2.5 kilometers. From the mud hole to Mato Grosso mill on BR-163, alias Santarém-Cuiabá Highway, it's less than 1 kilometer. As mentioned in the earlier posts, Mato Grosso has been primarily involved in purchasing and processing rice, as opposed to soybeans, at least until just recently. According to secondhand information, Cargill has leased the entire Mato Grosso facility because their own deposits in the city are filled to the brim. These pictures were taken last year when activity at the mill had almost reached zero. Yesterday the place looked like a beehive with dozens of trailer trucks bringing soybeans in from the Planalto. A great number of trucks use the dirt road going by Bosque Santa Lucia to get to the mill, and in doing so, have to pass through Lake Maria. It's incredible that with so much economic activity dependent on that small dirt road, the local government doesn't see fit to maintain it.

1 comment:

Jeremy M. Campbell said...

Aha! I thought it was only a matter of time befor Mato Grosso, Ltda., got buzzing again: how perfect that it's Cargill! Expect visits from Greenpeace soon!