Blairo Maggi
Blairo Borges Maggi | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 29, 1956 Torres, Brazil |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Known for | Billionaire, former governor of Mato Grosso, proprietor of Amaggi Group |
Blairo Borges Maggi (born 29 May 1956) is a Brazilian entrepreneur and former governor of Mato Grosso, known for his billionaire status. He is the proprietor of the Amaggi Group, a leading agribusiness corporation focused on soybean cultivation, processing, and international trade, with holdings that encompass soy terminals, transportation infrastructure such as highways, and waterways.
Early life
Maggi was born in Torres, Brazil, and is the son of Andre Maggi, who established the Amaggi Group. He earned a degree in agronomy from the Federal University of Paraná.
Career
Acknowledged as the globe's top soybean producer, Maggi has faced criticism for his role in accelerating Amazon rainforest deforestation, which led to Greenpeace awarding him the 2006 Golden Chainsaw Award. Despite this, he maintains that his enterprise is essential for Brazil's development. In 2003, he remarked: "To me, a 40 percent increase in deforestation doesn't mean anything at all... We're talking about an area larger than Europe that has barely been touched."
By 2015, Forbes valued Maggi's fortune at approximately US$1.2 billion, largely derived from his 16% ownership in Grupo Andre Maggi.
Paradise Papers
In November 2017, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists included Maggi among politicians implicated in the "Paradise Papers" revelations.