Northern Minas Gerais Cluster

The Northern Minas Gerais Cluster is composed of the Muncipalities of Catuti, Espinosa, Gameleiras, Jaíba, Janaúba, Mamonas, Manga, Matias Cardoso, Mato Verde, Monte Azul, Nova Porteirinha, Pai Pedro, Porteirinha, Riacho dos Machados, Serranópolis de Minas and Verdelândia. The most dynamic center in the region is the municipality of Janaúba, located 130 km from the city of Montes Claros and 541 km from Belo Horizonte. Its population is of approximately 61 thousand inhabitants.

The proximity of the Northern Minas Cluster to large consumer centers guarantees favorable logistics for transport of produce. There are natural conditions for development of a modern and efficient irrigated agriculture, associated with the implementation of the agro-industrial complex.  

The region also has a vocation for livestock farming, where dairy and meat cattle farming is already performed on a relatively large scale, in a predominantly extensive manner.

Encompassing several public irrigation projects, the Cluster is today a large production and export center for fruit, notably the Jaíba Project with structure for incorporation of an irrigated area of 100 thousand hectares. The Cluster's operational area also includes the Gorutuba and Lagoa Grande Projects.

The Pole has availability of power supplied by the Minas Gerais Power Company (CEMIG), with the capacity to meet the full demand. All locations are interconnected by telephone lines and the vast majority also has mobile phone coverage.

The Cluster's main strengths are: available power; paved highways from Janaúba to the main consumer centers; availability of power with capacity to meet full demand; possibility of using multi-modal transport system; public irrigation projects implemented and undergoing implementation; modern irrigation systems, with available space for expansion; good quality water; Jaíba project expansion area; close markets (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasília); existence of appropriate long term credit lines at competitive rates.

With regard to Agribusiness, the Northern Minas Cluster has significant areas geared towards irrigated agriculture, some already utilized by several irrigation projects, especially fruit farming and cultivation of beans, maize, manioc, cotton and other agricultural products. Important fruit farming areas were implemented and are undergoing implementation, as is the case of banana, papaya, lemon etc. In the case of banana, the Cluster has become the main producer in the State, with enormous potential for exports. The main attraction of the cluster is its equidistance from the main consumer markets in Brazil, especially São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília.

Several business opportunities present themselves for manufacture and sale of machinery and equipment, sale of fuel, production and sale of packaging, production and sale of agrochemicals, production of seedlings, packing houses, fruit juice, candy and pulp industries, concentrates, wholesalers, transporters, trading companies etc.

In addition to agribusiness linked to the fruit farming chain, the Cluster also boasts several complementary activities such as specialized consulting services, project design offices and technical support, specialist courses in rural and agro-industrial activities, agricultural trading and agribusiness logistics.

Infrastructure

Highways

Access to the Cluster is gained through utilization of a multi-modal transport system, in addition to the existence of canals for transport of produce and paved highways to the large consumer centers. The region is served by the BRs - 122, 135, 381 and 116 to Belo Horizonte, São Paulo and the port of Rio de Janeiro (southern route), BR 122 - BR 030 to Guanambi - BR 030 to Vitória da Conquista and BR 263/262 to the port of Ilhéus/BA (northern route).