Brazil Potash co-opted locals to approve Autazes project — Indigenous leaders

Brazil Potash and the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, co-opted indigenous leaders of the Mura people to approve the $2.5 billion Autazes potash project, according to a complaint by indigenous leaders and the Brazilian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the leaders heard by Brasil de Fato, Lima lied to the press on the subject and, together with the company, co-opted leaders, violating the protocol of prior consultation with the affected communities.

Last November, Lima called journalists to attend a meeting with Mura leaders. At the meeting, the governor declared that he had received support from the people for the project.

Indigenous organizations say, however, that only leaders favorable to the mining company and with minority representation among the Mura, whose population affected by the project exceeds 1,000 people, were invited.

“Everything that has been published in the media is a lie. There is no consensus on this. Especially in the village of Soares, which is the one that will suffer the most impact and unfortunately has been excluded from the dialogue,” said Erton Mura, a member of the Organization of Indigenous Leaders of the Mura People of Careiro da Várzea.

Brazil Potash denies any wrongdoing.

“The company has always respected the process and protocol of consultation with the Mura People and will remain firm in complying with the agreement signed in the federal court between Brazil Potash and the Mura People in March 2017,” it said.

The proposed mine and processing facilities in Autazes, 120 km southeast of the capital of Amazonas state, Manaus, would require about three years to build.

The project will be built on low density cattle farm land, deforested several decades ago by prior owners, Brazil Potash says. The ore body is not located under indigenous land, but is within 10km of two reserves resulting in the need for consultations with locals.  

In September, a lower court ruled that if the land is demarcated indigenous in the future, then only Brazil’s Congress and not the court could authorize mining in the area.

Production is expected to start in 2026 with an initial output sufficient to cover about 20% of Brazil’s potash needs. Project capacity is pegged at 2.2 million tonnes of potassium chloride per year, according to the company.