OREANDA-NEWS. October 19, 2011. The first fair of products of the agricultural Pole of Vila Nova Canaa was held on September 17. Organic products harvested by the farmers covered by the Relocation Program developed by the UTE Itaqui, a plant MPX is now building in the state of Maranhao. After eight months of pole operation over 150 thousand items have been produced, totaling BRL  87 thousand. The UTE Itaqui supports the Agricultural Pole, paying for infrastructure expenses, inputs and tools, besides offering technical and psychosocial services to the dwellers of  Vila Nova Canaa.

The community is part of the relocation program implemented in  Itaqui, in Maranhao. Before starting the construction of the thermoelectric power plant,  MPX promised to compensate the dwellers of the community of Vila Madureira where 95 families lived in precarious conditions. There was no infrastructure or sanitation. Some of the families survived from clandestine garbage collection. The families were transferred to  Vila Residencial Nova Canaa, in Paco do Lumiar,  30 km away from Sao Luis.  The families themselves selected the site where they wanted to live.  Because of this project, in November 2010 MPX won the ECO Award, one of the most prestigious the country recognizing companies committed to the principles and practices of corporate citizenship and sustainable development.  Granted by the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) and by newspaper Valor Economico,  MPX was one of the warded nominees in the Sustainability in New Projects category.