Rômulo José Neri, AGRONERI Sistemas de Irrigação LTDA President and CEO: “We always seek to disseminate our knowledge, aiming for the best, delivering assertive projects and sustainable solutions, both financially and environmentally, always maintaining balance for both clients and the company”

In 2010, Rômulo José Neri, a passionate agricultural engineer with a deep expertise in irrigation and soil fertility, founded AGRONERI Sistemas de Irrigação LTDA with a mission to revolutionize irrigation practices. Rômulo’s journey began during his university years, where he immersed himself in research projects within the Irrigation & Drainage discipline. It was there that he identified critical inefficiencies in existing irrigation systems, which often led to overwatering, nutrient leaching, and excessive energy consumption, all of which hindered crop productivity.

With a vision to address these challenges, Rômulo set out to create a company that would not only install irrigation systems but also ensure they were managed properly, tailored to the specific needs of each area. He sought to incorporate soil fertility management, water conservation, and socio-environmental sustainability into every project. Alongside his wife Eveline, Rômulo chose the name “AGRONERI” to represent the family’s dedication to the agricultural industry. In 2013, AGRONERI gained national recognition after being selected to design and execute the largest pasture irrigation project in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This 500-hectare project supported 5,000 animals, showcasing AGRONERI’s capability to manage complex agricultural ecosystems. The company’s success quickly expanded its reach across Brazil and into international markets, including Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, France, and Bolivia.

Rômulo’s vision extended beyond Brazil, as he registered the AGRONERI brand in 2012 with a long-term plan to franchise. After a decade of refining the business model, the company launched its franchise expansion in 2022, raising the technological standard of irrigation systems and offering new opportunities to the sector.

AGRONERI’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and family values continues to drive its success as a leader in sustainable irrigation and agricultural management.

In conversation with Rômulo José Neri, President and CEO of AGRONERI Sistemas de Irrigação LTDA

Q. How does AgroNeri tailor its irrigation and fertigation solutions to meet the unique needs of each market segment?

AGRONERI understands that each market segment has unique needs, adopting a personalized and exclusive approach to each irrigation and fertigation solution. In agribusiness, livestock farming is one of the most attractive segments with the intensification of pastures and dedusting for beef production, however each solution is unique and totally exclusive to the area and reality of the rural property, AGRONERI uses all its know-how to scale the best solution for the totally exclusive area.

In agriculture, the company offers solutions that favor rural producers with greater efficiency, lower operating costs, optimizing the use of resources that boost irrigated crop production by up to 2 to 3 times, opening up the range of options in irrigation systems, deciding the best strategy in an impartial way that best benefits rural producers and sustainability.

In the urban landscape irrigation segment, with solutions that transform green environments, bringing technology efficiently, delivering automated systems with a high level of embedded technology, reducing water consumption in excess applications, reducing electricity consumption and providing greater thermal comfort with sustainability.

Q. Can you detail the range of irrigation and fertigation system solutions that AgroNeri offers to its clients?

Our portfolio of products and services goes beyond the traditional global market, AGRONERI works with connected products and services forming innovative and intelligent solutions, which we call “THE COMPLETE DROP”, a revolutionary product/service in the global market, AGRONERI understands that for a sustainable and economically viable production requires much more than simply irrigating, with solid knowledge and know-how from over 17 years, we created the “THE COMPLETE DROP” solution that incorporates cutting-edge technology, providing its client with an efficient, sustainable and profitable solution, focusing on water resources management, soil fertility management, crop management and economic management of the activity. We still have exclusive special solutions.

Below is our portfolio of products/services:

The Complete Drop LIVESTOCK

Exclusive solution that covers the entire cattle production process, from soil analysis, forage species, irrigation, water management, fertigation management, drinking fountains, salt cellars, pasture division, pasture management, gates, animal loading strategy, financial cost of production per kilogram of meat produced.

The Complete Drop CONFINES:

Specific for dedusting confinements, helping with respiratory health and thermal comfort for animal

The Complete Drop AGRICULTURE:

Exclusive solution that covers the entire crop production process, from soil analysis, cultivated species, irrigation, water management, fertigation management, pest management, financial cost of production. Solution aimed at intensifying agricultural production, grains in general, fruit and vegetables.

The Complete Drop LANDSCAPE:

Exclusive solution that covers the entire production process of green areas/lawns in general, from soil analysis, cultivated species, irrigation, water management, fertigation management, pest management. Solution designed to efficiently use water resources for residential lawns and gardens, public and private parks and squares.

The Complete Drop SPORT:

Exclusive solution that covers efficient improvement in water control, avoiding excess and deficit application, improving air quality in the sports environment, enabling high quality environments for sports and better quality of life.

SPECIAL SOLUTIONS

• Drinking Fountains Project; Pasture Project;
• Staking Project;
• Soil chemical analysis; Irrigation Audit;
• AGRO Credit;
• Business plan.

Q. What sets AgroNeri’s products and services apart from others in the industry?

Our solutions include products and services, innovation, technology and exclusivity. Our objective goes beyond creating wetting systems, AGRONERI is the only IRRIGATION company that does not have as its central objective the revenue of products, as it is concerned with generating results for the customer by meeting the water deficit with high efficiency in a sustainable way.

Q. How does AgroNeri measure the success of its solutions in terms of client satisfaction and project performance?

In “complete GOTA” solutions, monitoring of results after completion and delivery of the work for at least one production cycle is already part of the value proposition. This monitoring provides the customer with greater security, a guarantee that AGRONERI will be at their side, monitoring the first steps of the production process, thus ensuring the result and assisting through delivery consultancy. So when we deliver the DRE (statement of financial results), with high liquids, a spontaneous smile on our clients’ faces is inevitable.

Q. How does AgroNeri envision its global impact, considering its involvement in agribusiness and urban projects?

According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 80% of the food needed by the human population in the world in the next 25 years will be produced through irrigated crops. In Brazil we have 60 million hectares with water capacity available for irrigation, in addition to an increase of over 30% in capacity just increasing the efficiency of the systems in operation, but we have not yet used even 10% of this potential. AGRONERI is preparing, through a network of franchises, to meet all this demand, both in Brazil and worldwide.

Q. How do such collaborations contribute to AgroNeri’s position as a leader in the field?

AGRONERI is unique because of the way each client works, when we get involved in the industry it is to improve the lives of our clients, and consequently assume the isolated leadership of the segment, we align and deliver innovation, technology, truth, ethics, commitment and valuing the family , becoming very powerful tools on the market.

Q. What strategies does the company employ to maintain a competitive edge in the industry?

Our biggest strategy is “don’t do to anyone what you wouldn’t want done to you”, “Don’t sell what you wouldn’t buy”, we are passionate about irrigation technology, we know that the future will depend considerably on it in an efficient and sustainable way, to guarantee of global food security. So we do our best, and we evolve every day, always striving for perfection.

Q. How has AgroNeri navigated global events, such as the recent pandemic, and what lessons were learned from these experiences?

During the pandemic, we had many projects in operation and many demands for new projects, it was a period in which we expanded a lot, and in our company we had no negative effects regarding the pandemic.

Q. Has the company identified any opportunities or changes in approach based on lessons learned during challenging times?

Challenges will always exist, however whenever difficulties or difficult times occur, pay close attention as you must be very focused on the problem and not see the great opportunity. Every crisis there is an opportunity, you just need to know how to explore it.

Rômulo José Neri, President and CEO

“My philosophy for leadership is to keep my team motivated, create an exciting work environment, and value each employee on a meritorious basis, awakening a sense of urgency, commitment, truth, ethics and creativity, principles that I practice and value”