foenl@gn.UUCP (10/28/89)
In the state of Mato Grosso, part of 'Amazonia Legal', an area the
size of one third of West Germany (i.e. about 80.000 square kilometers)
is being developed for agricultural purposes. The programme is called
'Novo Eldorado' and was initiated by El Dorado, a land colonisation company
headed by Mr. Wunderlich from West Germany who used to work for Dr. Oetker,
the West German food-processing company. A number of (mainly West German,
Dutch and Brazilian companies or directors of companies) are involved in
the project by investing money and buying land. Some of these companies are:
Volkswagen do Brasil, Siemens, Melitta, Cargill, Nederlandse Middenstandsbank,
Melitta, Dr. Oetker, Henkel, BASF, Klockner Muller, Westfalia Seperator
and so on.
Dutch farmers are being asked to emigrate to the Ipirangi project (150.000
hectares) located some 500 kilometers north of Cuiaba. Soja and rubber
production are the purpose. Firestone and Johnson and Johnson will buy the
rubber. The soja will be transported to Santarem and then exported to USA
and Europe. The site of the project is a mixture of cerrado and cerradao in
the transition zone to the tropical rainforest and crucial as a buffer zone
around the primary forest. In the information booklets of the involved
companies the contrary is said: "the project contributes to the protection
of the rainforest." Dutch newspapers opened their Saturday issue with this
story. Today (Monday) all political parties have asked the government to
object to Dutch financial participation and / or emigration of farmers.
Friends of the Earth Holland (Vereniging Milieudefensie) , together with
other NGO's will write letters to Dutch companies involved in the project.
For further information:
Herman Verhagen / Friends of the Earth Holland
tel. 31)20)221366
fax 31)20)275287
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