CTC, an acronym for Sugarcane Technology Center, is a company focused on biotechnology aimed at research, development, and commercialization in the variety of sugarcane. A world leader in technology aimed at the sugarcane market, the Center holds one of the largest sugarcane germplasm banks in the world.
Over its 5 decades, CTC has been responsible for significant technological advancement in Brazilian agribusiness , elevating the country to be an international reference in the field.
Its laboratories located in Piracicaba (SP) and Saint-Louis (USA) are tasked with developing the necessary sugar-energy technology and scientific research for the continuous growth of the sector. In addition, the Center has improvement hubs in several states across the country, namely: Goiás, São Paulo, Bahia, Alagoas, and Paraná. And sales offices in the cities of Maringá in PR; Piracicaba, Ribeirão Preto, São José do Rio Preto, Assis, and Araçatuba, located in the state of São Paulo; Uberaba and Uberlândia in Minas Gerais; Dourados in Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiânia, in Goiás.
Founded in 1969, CTC – Copersucar Technology Center, seeking to develop innovations for the sugar-energy sector, and in 1975 the Federal Government created the National Alcohol Program – Proálcool, where CTC actively contributed.
In 1983, the Center launched its first variety of sugarcane, derived from the Genetic Development Program. In the following years, CTC implemented automation controls for sugarcane mills, optimizing the industrial processes of the sector.
By 1994, the first agricultural biotechnology laboratory was inaugurated, aiming to generate genetically modified crops. The following year, optimization occurred in various processes of mechanized harvesting, loading, and transportation, as well as adjustments to new environmental demands.
In 2004, marking a new phase for the center, CTC became Sugarcane Technology Center, a non-profit research institute. In turn, it became a corporation in 2011, with shareholders from the main groups in the sector, corresponding to 60% of the country's sugarcane production. The following year, the variety developed by the center, SP81-3250 became the most cultivated internally. There was also the implementation of a new strategic plan for the company.
A reformulation of the genetic improvement program was carried out in the company, which in 2013 launched the first premium varieties of the CTC 9000.
2014 was marked by the inauguration of the most modern biotechnology laboratory focused on sugarcane development in the world. The entry of BNDES into the shareholder group also occurred. And in 2016, CTC's shares were listed on the stock exchange; that year, the portfolio of canes created by the Center accounted for one-third of those present in the sugarcane fields within the country.
In 2018, CTC Genomics, a subsidiary located in Saint Louis, USA, was inaugurated.
