SANTOS, BRAZIL — COFCO International has entered a strategic framework agreement with Mengniu Group subsidiaries Modern Farming and China Shengmu Organic Milk to supply 1.5 million tonnes of certified sustainable soybeans from Brazil to China.The soybeans will be third-party verified as deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) since Dec. 31, 2020. On-farm audits will ensure sustainable water management, biodiversity conservation and ethical labor standards in compliance with the COFCO International Responsible Agriculture Standard.
Mengniu, one of the world’s largest milk producers, together with Shengmu, intends to receive these soybean volumes from COFCO International under mass balance chain of custody between 2025 and 2030. Mengniu Group and its subsidiaries manufacture and distribute dairy products in China with Mengniu as its core brand.“This agreement reflects China’s growing demand for sustainable commodities, benefiting Brazil’s agricultural sector and its farmers,” said Luiz Noto, chief executive officer of COFCO International Brazil. “Brazil has made great strides in sustainability, and agreements like this reinforce those efforts while creating new opportunities for producers.”The agreement with COFCO International, the overseas agriculture arm of Beijing, China-based COFCO Corp., was signed Feb. 2 at the company’s Santos, Brazil, export terminal. The signing was attended by the port representative from the city of Santos, senior leaders from Modern Farming, Shengmu, COFCO and the World Economic Forum’s Tropical Forest Alliance.
