Rodrigo Penna de Siqueira is CFO of Jalles Machado () and is part of the Otávio Lage group, which gave rise to the company 24 years ago. Holding the position of financial director at Jalles for 13 years, the executive was one of those responsible for the company’s IPO in 2021, an operation that opened space for new agricultural companies on the Brazilian Stock Exchange.
He was a guest on the most recent episode of Business Rootits road between the countryside and Faria Lima, a partnership between InfoMoney e TheAgriBiz. During the conversation, the executive highlighted that Jalles’ history is directly related to the Proálcool program, which turns 50 in November this year. “It was a very cool initiative that brought the ethanol industry to Brazil. And the country ended up being a reference for the entire world. Jalles is the result of pro-alcohol. It’s a project that worked”, stated the CFO.
Furthermore, Jalles was also born amid social need in Goianésia, a city in the State of Goiás, to generate employment and income. The group was founded in 1980, with the first harvest in 1983.
Take your business to the next level with the country’s top entrepreneurs!
Also read:
Corn ethanol
Siqueira detailed the company’s studies on corn ethanol, which has gained a lot of space in sector discussions in recent years. “This is the number one question from our investors”, he commented. There is an intention to take advantage of opportunities in this segment, according to the executive. At the same time, however, he made it clear that there are other concomitant priorities for the company.
“We have a corn ethanol project. Last year, we carried out a study in our three sugarcane units to evaluate the viability of a flex plant, with corn ethanol. The project showed good viability in one of the plants, but our current focus is to explore the investments made since the IPO, around R$1.5 billion in the last four years, before starting a new investment cycle. We don’t want to leverage the company”, he explained.
Continues after advertising
Productivity and technology
The executive also reinforced that productivity is critical for competitiveness. “We have sugarcane varieties that increase productivity by 30%, and the average in the Goiás units is 20% above the Center-South average. We are controlling the entire operation with artificial intelligence and constant monitoring.”
Regarding the production mix between sugar and ethanol, Rodrigo explained that Jalles seeks flexibility to maximize profitability.
