The rate of the Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services (ICMS) in transactions involving wood chips in Mato Grosso do Sul, which was 17%, is no longer charged.

According to the Secretary of State for Production, Environment, Economic Development and Family Agriculture (Semagro), Jaime Verruck, the measure accompanies the evolution of the productive chain of forests, which should receive in the coming years, only for the pulp segment, investments of more than R$ 34 billion in cellulose. “We modernized the chain, we made the chip chain in Mato Grosso do Sul competitive. We have a series of companies today that make the chips and supply them. So they take the eucalyptus, make the chips and supply them to the entire production chain”, he explained. .

The executive director of Reflore-MS, Benedito Mário Lázaro, says that there was a very big difficulty, as the ICMS rate made the production and sale of wood chips economically unfeasible. The change comes as a great incentive, as there are many companies using the raw material in boilers as fuel. “This is already a request that we have been making for some time so that we could make the chain more competitive and attract new companies that provide this service”, he concludes.