The Who's Who Award: The Best and Largest Brazilian Cooperatives of Poultry and Pigs changed the date so that now the presentation will be held on 1 August 2018, during the opening ceremony of AveSui Latin America, which takes place in Medianeira (PR). The change responds to a request from the participating cooperatives, who preferred that the award presentation take place inside one of the main production centres of poultry and swine in the country, which is the western region of Paraná. The new date will facilitate the presence of presidents, technicians, members and their families on the night of delivery of the Who's Who 2018 award, in addition to enabling these guests access to major technological innovations and novelties exhibited at the trade show.

The Who's Who 2018 award will be presented by Plasson and the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB). In its third edition, the award went on to have ten categories, including awards for Best Cooperative, Best Technical/Technical Assistance, Innovation, Operational Management, Cooperative Women and Retail, in addition to the existing Economic-Financial Performance, Environmental Responsibility, Responsibile Social and Sustainable Development. Created by the Industrial Poultry and Industrial Pig Industry magazines, Gessulli Agribusiness publications, the award seeks to highlight the important role played by cooperatives in the development of agribusiness in the country, as well as social improvement and preservation of the environment, highlighting actions and central actors in this area.

The collection of information, data analysis and ranking of each category will be made by the company Markestrat, led by professor and agribusiness market expert Marcos Fava Neves. The questionnaires and request for data have already been sent by the consultancy to cooperatives. With the data in hand, cooperatives, technicians and managers with better performance will be rewarded, thus valuing the excellent results obtained by cooperatives within poultry and pig production systems.

"The role of cooperatives in the future of agriculture"

During the opening of the Who's Who 2018 Award, the consultant, professor Marcos Fava Neves, will discuss the agenda and challenges of cooperativism in the future. Considering the data that suggests revenues of more than a trillion dollars in the coming years, the professor of FEA/USP will address the agenda and challenges of cooperativism in the next 10, 15 and 20 years in the lecture, The role of cooperatives in the future of agriculture.

"It brings a lot of joy and hope to look at the latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) projections for global agribusiness products in the next 10 years, market share until 2027/28, the participation of Brazil and the additional value in exports," comments Fava Neves stressing that in this aspect cooperatives should play a key role for the country.