EN 
PT_BR 
Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior and the Secretary of Cities, Guto Silva, visited this Wednesday (16) the expansion works of the Tradição Agricultural Cooperative (Coopertradição), in Pato Branco, in the Southwest region. The visit took place after the inauguration of the new PRC-280, now in concrete, and the launch of the city's Northwest Bypass, a work of around R$ 140 million.
Coopertradição's investment was announced in 2023, and construction is well underway. The soybean meal and oil industry is receiving R$1.5 billion in investment. 400 direct and indirect jobs will be created. The project is supported by the State through the Southern Regional Development Bank (BRDE), which is contributing R$1.5 billion in financing, with resources from the Prodecoop and PCA lines.
Currently, only 20% of soybeans produced in the Southwest are processed. With its new plant, Coopertradição, established in 2009 and with 3,000 members, it will increase grain processing by 25%, bringing the region's industrialization rate to over 40%.
The new plant's total area will be approximately 600,000 square meters, with an estimated production capacity of 2,000 tons per day, which could reach 3,200 tons with the project's expansion. Static storage capacity is projected at 190,000 tons of soybeans in two warehouses, in addition to 60,000 tons of meal. The plant will also feature 4.0 technology, artificial intelligence, automated 100% processes, and several sustainability initiatives, such as a renewable energy source.
"This is one of the largest food industrialization projects in Brazil, which will further enhance our agricultural vocation, enabling exports with added value and strengthening Paraná as a global supermarket," said Governor Ratinho Junior.
For the cooperative's president, Julinho Tonus, the presence of the chief executive reinforces the alignment between the public and cooperative sectors. "Welcoming the state governor to our project is a recognition of the serious and committed work we are doing. It's also an opportunity to demonstrate how cooperativism can be an instrument of development, adding value to the production chain and generating income through innovation and sustainability," he stated.
The industrial unit, which will be one of the most technologically advanced in the state in this area, is part of a series of recent investments in the state in the agro-industrial sector, such as the soybean crushers of C.Vale, in Palotina, and Coamo, in Campo Mourão.
