Micro-entrepreneur won the right to exploit niobium in areas the size of São Paulo in the Amazon

The ANM (National Mining Agency) granted a single entrepreneur the right to prospect niobium in areas in the Amazon whose combined sizes are equivalent to almost 1.5 city of São Paulo.

The entrepreneur is a partner in a micro-enterprise and appears as a former beneficiary of emergency aid.

The research authorizations granted to João Carlos da Silva Martins and his company, Ourocan Serviços de Apoio e Logística para Mineração, cover an agrarian reform settlement, the fringes of an indigenous land and a conservation unit, and a region close to a hydroelectric plant.

In all, the ANM granted 26 authorizations for Martins and Ourocan to prospect for niobium and ores such as tin, tantalum, zinc, bauxite, gold and diamond.

All the acts were signed in 2021 and refer to exploration in the Amazon, more specifically in the states of Amazonas and Pará. The areas total 215.6 thousand hectares.

In an interview with leafthe businessman confirmed that he obtained authorizations for the exploitation of niobium in rural settlements —there were at least five authorizations— without any dialogue, consensus or prior approval on the part of settlers.

According to Martins, there is no approval for researching the metal within indigenous lands or conservation units, but in the immediate vicinity.

“I have nothing to do with the government. I am a miner and I follow the market. The president [Jair Bolsonaro] only speaks in niobium. Have you ever seen him talk about bauxite? Bauxite is the next ore that will be at the top,” said the businessman.

In a note, the ANM said that there is no limit to the issuance of research permits, “provided that the area to be researched is free and the authorized person pays the fees within the determined deadlines.” “Research authorization does not mean exploitation, it does not mean mining.”

Regarding the permission to prospect in rural settlements and on the fringes of indigenous lands and conservation units, the ANM said that it complies with Brazilian legislation and legal system.

THE leaf showed in a report published on the 6th that the authorizations for niobium exploration in the Amazon more than doubled in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), an enthusiast and promoter of the metal before and after his arrival to the Presidency.

In the first three years of his term, 295 requests for exploration of the metal were filed with the ANM, which granted 171 research authorizations, of which 64 were for the Legal Amazon region.

In the previous three-year period, there were 120 requests and 74 research authorizations, of which 25 for the Amazon. The increase in approval for niobium exploration in the region was 156% under the Bolsonaro government.

This increase is even more expressive when taking into account the three-year period from 2013 to 2015, when there were only nine authorizations in the Amazon. The increase would thus be equivalent to 611%.

The survey was carried out by leaf in the public system of processes of the ANM, an autarchy linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, with collegiate and independent action.

After the publication of the report, the PSOL bench in the Chamber filed a request to convene the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, to explain the explosion of niobium research authorizations during the Bolsonaro government.

Bolsonaro uses niobium as an argument for defending mining in conserved areas in the Amazon, especially in indigenous lands, which is prohibited by the Federal Constitution.

The president repeats his speech on niobium frequently – he has even taken it to the UN General Assembly, in the traditional opening speech of the annual conference made by the leader of Brazil.

The Chief Executive ignores in the speeches that the country is already the main producer of the metal, with 88% of the world total, and that explored deposits – mainly in Minas Gerais – have enough material to supply the market in the coming decades. There is a lack of demand for niobium, which is used to make metal alloys lighter and stronger.

The record holder in authorizations in the Amazon, João Carlos Martins, was approved by the ANM to advance the search for niobium in the rural settlement Aripuanã-Guariba, in Apuí (AM), and in areas neighboring the Waimiri Atroari indigenous land, in Urucará (AM). The authorizations were given to both Martins and the company in which he is a partner.

Ourocan is located in Pontes e Lacerda (MT), where the businessman lives. It is a venture with a share capital of R$ 300 thousand, classified as a micro-enterprise, according to the public records of the Federal Revenue Service.

“Due to bureaucratic issues, it is almost impossible to mine today in Amazonas. My company is small. Most areas were requested last year. We see an opportunity in the market,” said Martins.

According to the businessman, yes, there is acceptance of niobium. “It’s more expensive to produce it, but the market is always on the rise.”

Martins said that having authorizations to explore an area of ​​215,600 hectares does not mean prospecting the extent of all these areas.

“I’m not in any settlement yet, I should start doing some studies in some areas this year. It’s a constitutional prerogative, as a citizen I can request [pesquisa de minério em assentamento]. There is a three-year period for surveys. If I have the ore, I will talk to the settlers, communities and associations and submit a proposal,” he said.

The businessman said that he based himself on a geological map from the Geological Service of Brazil to make the research requirements.

“You don’t know if it’s a settlement area, a farm, if it’s a government area. There are areas that I registered that belong to the government, they don’t have documents. In some states, the ANM already communicates the regions, to see if there is an agreement with the land owner.”

Regarding the payments of emergency aid, aimed at low-income families in the pandemic, the businessman said that he did not receive the benefit.

“I didn’t receive anything, it wasn’t me who received it. I have a lot of problems with situations with my CPF”, said Martins.

Payment records are public and available on the federal government’s Transparency Portal. According to the records, there were five monthly payments of R$600 each, totaling R$3,000, in 2020. The last two were “returned to the Union”.