The River That Boosted High-Productivity Agribusiness in the Cerrado: At 2,416 km, the Tocantins Supports Hydroelectric Plants, Billion-Dollar Crops, and Is the Second Largest 100% Brazilian Watercourse

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 30/06/2025 at 11:14

Foto: Ilustração do Rio Tocantins

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With 2,416 km, the Tocantins River originates in Goiás and supplies hydropower plants, irrigation systems, and high-productivity crops that have transformed agribusiness in the Midwest and North of Brazil.

Before it became the energy and agricultural corridor we know, the Cerrado was seen as an “economic void.” But cutting through this savanna from north to south is a river that transformed this scenario: the Tocantins River. With a length of 2,416 km, from its source at the confluence of the Almas and Maranhão rivers, between Ouro Verde de Goiás and Petrolina de Goiás, it advances through Goiás, Tocantins, Maranhão, and Pará, delivering water, energy, and life to millions of Brazilians.

Tocantins River Energy: A Fully Brazilian Strategic Basin

The Tocantins is the second largest river with a completely national course, second only to the São Francisco. Together with the Araguaia, it forms the vast Tocantins-Araguaia Hydrographic Basin, the largest entirely located in Brazil, responsible for supplying more than 8 million people and irrigating vast crops in the Cerrado.

Power Plants on the Tocantins River: Clean Energy That Drives the Countryside

The Tocantins River hosts one of the largest hydropower complexes in the country, with a combined capacity close to 11,500 MW. Among the highlights:

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Agribusiness in the Cerrado: Irrigation, Productivity, and Modernization

The Cerrado has become one of the largest agricultural hubs in the world, and the Tocantins River plays a central role in this process. The availability of water and energy provided by hydropower plants enables irrigated crops with high technology, using center pivots, fertigation, and crop rotation methods.

Municipalities such as Pedro Afonso, Formoso do Araguaia, Lagoa da Confusão, and Balsas stand out with billion-dollar production of soybeans, corn, rice, and tropical fruits. This productivity is supported by modern water infrastructure, reliable energy, and investment in agricultural technology.

Water Infrastructure and Integrated Logistics

In addition to energy and irrigation, the Tocantins River also has enormous logistical potential. The Tocantins-Araguaia Waterway, currently undergoing expansion and adjustments, promises to connect inland crops to the Northern Arc, facilitating export through ports in the Amazon region.

Brazil Leads Global Chicken Exports with 5 Million Tons Shipped, Over US$ 10 Billion in Revenue, and Presence in 150 Countries

The integration with highways such as BR-153 and railways like the North-South further enhances transportation efficiency. This combination of modalities transforms the Tocantins into a strategic logistical hub for the flow of grains, meats, and industrialized products.

Sustainability: Rational Water Use and Preservation of the Tocantins River

Despite its benefits, the Tocantins River faces threats such as deforestation of the banks, siltation, and excessive water use. To tackle these challenges, actions are being implemented to restore permanent preservation areas, monitor water quality, and control water use by rural, urban, and industrial users.

These measures are essential to ensure that the Tocantins continues to fulfill its strategic role for agribusiness, energy generation, and water security for millions of Brazilians.

Source: Brazilian Government

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The River That Boosted High-Productivity Agribusiness in the Cerrado: At 2,416 km, the Tocantins Supports Hydroelectric Plants, Billion-Dollar Crops, and Is the Second Largest 100% Brazilian Watercourse

With 2,416 km, the Tocantins River originates in Goiás and supplies hydropower plants, irrigation systems, and high-productivity crops that have transformed agribusiness in the Midwest and North of Brazil.

Tocantins River Energy: A Fully Brazilian Strategic Basin

Power Plants on the Tocantins River: Clean Energy That Drives the Countryside

Agribusiness in the Cerrado: Irrigation, Productivity, and Modernization

Water Infrastructure and Integrated Logistics

Sustainability: Rational Water Use and Preservation of the Tocantins River

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The River That Boosted High-Productivity Agribusiness in the Cerrado: At 2,416 km, the Tocantins Supports Hydroelectric Plants, Billion-Dollar Crops, and Is the Second Largest 100% Brazilian Watercourse

With 2,416 km, the Tocantins River originates in Goiás and supplies hydropower plants, irrigation systems, and high-productivity crops that have transformed agribusiness in the Midwest and North of Brazil.

Tocantins River Energy: A Fully Brazilian Strategic Basin

Power Plants on the Tocantins River: Clean Energy That Drives the Countryside

Agribusiness in the Cerrado: Irrigation, Productivity, and Modernization

Water Infrastructure and Integrated Logistics

Sustainability: Rational Water Use and Preservation of the Tocantins River

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Cambodia has started digging a nearly 180-kilometer canal to connect the Mekong River directly to the sea and reduce its dependence on the ports of neighboring Vietnam.

Dissatisfied with seeing people sleeping on the street, a man named Ryan Donais started building small mobile homes so that homeless people can escape the cold, each equipped with a bed, running water, electricity, and heating.

China has put millions of electric cars on the roads, but now faces the side effect: more than 1 million tons of batteries are expected to go out of use per year by 2030, while the government expands tracking and combats illegal dismantling with environmental risks.

An Indonesian fisherman pulls a mysterious object from the sea and discovers that it is a Chinese underwater monitoring system, part of the so-called Underwater Great Wall that Beijing uses to track submarines and unmanned vehicles in strategic straits of the region.

A submarine volcano erupted off the coast of Papua New Guinea, sending columns of steam three kilometers high, and scientists are now monitoring whether a new island is emerging from the sea.

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