VISIONS Magazine (August 2025 Edition)
Growing Greener Pastures: SC Americas Partners with Grupo Papalotla to Advance Climate-Smart Livestock Solutions
Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SC Americas) has taken another step toward shaping a more sustainable global food system, announcing a strategic partnership with Grupo Papalotla, a pioneer in tropical pasture innovation. The collaboration begins with a growth-focused investment in Papalotla’s Brazilian subsidiary, Tropical Seeds do Brasil, a leader in hybrid pasture seed development.
Founded in 1992, Papalotla has built a reputation for breeding high-performance forage seeds with traits such as drought and flood tolerance—critical for pasture resilience in the face of climate change. The company holds an exclusive license with the Colombian research institute CIAT for its proprietary hybrids, and its operations span seed selection, production through contract growers, and coating processes that improve germination and nutrient performance.
Addressing a National Priority in Brazil
Brazil ranks as the world’s second-largest cattle producer and the largest beef exporter, with more than 223 million beef cattle and 16 million dairy cattle grazing on 160 million hectares of pastureland. Most of this production relies on open grazing, making pasture quality a decisive factor in productivity. The Brazilian government has committed to restoring 30–40 million hectares of degraded pastureland by 2030—without expanding the total pasture area.
“This initiative stems from Sumitomo Clean Farming Team’s ongoing efforts to source high-performance livestock inputs, such as natural feed additives and hybrid pasture seeds, that support both greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and enhanced animal productivity,” said Ryosuke Yanagi, Director, Department Head of Agrifood Innovation Department, Sumitomo Corporation do Brasil. “As part of this strategy, Sumitomo engaged with Papalotla in 2023. This investment will reinforce our partnership with AAPA and enable closer collaboration with key industry players, with whom we aim to promote contract farmer support services, including the adoption of advanced inputs, rehabilitation of degraded pastureland, and the transition to more sustainable livestock production systems.”
Scaling Impact Across the Tropics and Beyond
The partnership will accelerate the deployment of high-performance Brachiaria hybrids and integrated pasture systems, delivering measurable benefits for both producers and the environment. These include expanding market access for small and medium livestock producers, enabling sustainable intensification in tropical and subtropical regions, and supporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals like carbon-smart milk and beef production, improved water efficiency, and rural economic inclusion.
“This investment by Sumitomo Corporation not only validates the strength of our tropical pasture technologies, but also reinforces our shared vision for transforming livestock systems through innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth,” said Andrei Nicolayevsky, CEO of Grupo Papalotla. “Together, we will expand our reach, improve land productivity, and empower producers to meet growing food demands while regenerating soils and reducing emissions.”
A Pathway to Productivity and Regeneration
Papalotla’s hybrids can produce up to four times the biomass of traditional pastures, improving animal performance while restoring degraded lands and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. By combining SC Americas’ global reach and investment capacity with Papalotla’s science-based approach, the partnership aims to accelerate sustainable livestock practices not just in Brazil, but across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
As global demand for meat and dairy continues to rise, SC Americas and Grupo Papalotla are working to ensure that growth can happen without further deforestation or environmental degradation—proving that greener pastures can also be more productive ones.
