São Paulo has a Bill underway to make agricultural aviation an “activity of Relevant Social, Public and Economic Interest”

The National Union of Agricultural Aviation Companies (Sindag) informs that, as of this month, Sao Paulo also has a Bill  being processed to make agricultural aviation “an activity of Relevant Social, Public and Economic Interest in the State”. Bill #2/2025 is authored by state deputy Gil Diniz and was filed on the 4th at the State Legislative Assembly (ALESP). In justifying the proposal, the parliamentarian highlights the role of the aeroagricultural sector in food security, agricultural production efficiency, and environmental protection in the State. According to him, aviation “allows for greater productivity, savings on inputs and less environmental impact, reducing soil degradation and increasing precision in applications”. Diniz also highlights in the proposal the importance of agricultural planes in fighting vegetation fires and preserving natural resources. The Bill in the Sao Paulo Legislature follows the example of Rio Grande do Sul, where State Law #16,267/25 (Telmo Fabricio Dutra Law) came into force in January. In this case, the rule came from Bill 442/23, authored by deputy Marcus Vinicius and signed by 23 other parliamentarians. Furthermore, other similar  proposals to protect the aeroagricultural sector are also being processed in the Legislatures of Bahia and Santa Catarina. Sao Paulo has the third largest fleet in the sector, among 24 states that operate with agricultural aviation. The tool is essential in crops that are extremely important for Sao Paulo residents, such as sugar cane and oranges (of which the State is the largest national producer), as well as corn, soybeans, cotton, and others. Furthermore, the State has had aeroagricultural tools since 1948, when Sao Paulo native Ada Rogato became the first female agricultural pilot in the country, flying on behalf of the State Biological Institute in coffee farming. Sao Paulo’s link with the segment is further reinforced by the fact that the State is home to the Embraer factory that produces the Ipanema agricultural plane, a national project from the 1970s that today represents more than half of the Brazilian fleet. Since 2004, the model has left the factory with an ethanol engine, responsible for a third of the national fleet being powered by biofuel – a notable achievement in global aviation. Brazilian agricultural aviation is the second largest in the world, behind only the United States. – https://aeroin.net/sao-paulo-tem-projeto-tramitando-para-tornar-a-aviacao-agricola-atividade-de-relevante-interesse-social-publico-e-economico/#google_vignette