According to Stephanes, certain issues such as exploration of mines for fertilizer production call for new legislation.
“There are several regions, comprising several mines, in which exploration may begin by means of legal decisions. Therefore, it is all about administrative issues that must be solved. Other areas depend on laws to create better conditions for exploration. Those depend on the regulatory framework that we are going to submit by March,” said the minister after the meeting with Lobão.
Brazil imports 90% of the potassium it consumes in fertilizer manufacturing, but one large mine owned by Petrobras in the state of Amazonas may help solve the problem, explained Lobão.
“We have a serious problem which is that of potassium, and we are trying to solve it by means of a large mine owned by Petrobras in Amazonas. Another possibility is importing from Argentina, as well as tapping into other sources here in Brazil, such as the state of Espírito Santo,” said the minister of Mines and Energy.
According to the ministers, the regulatory framework’s objective is to foster fertilizer production in Brazil, so as to attain self-sufficiency within the next 10 years.