In Hulha Negra, ministers detail Union aid against drought

The federal government confirmed this Thursday (23) the release of R$ 430 million to help municipalities and communities affected by the drought in Rio Grande do Sul. In Hulha Negra, in the Campanha region, the ministerial delegation highlighted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke about the plan announced the day before.

The initiative brought to RS ministers Paulo Teixeira, of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture (MDA); Paulo Pimenta, from the Special Secretariat for Social Communication (Secom); and Wellington Dias, from Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger (MDS); representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and Integration and Regional Development. In the south of the state, they met with governor Eduardo Leite, state secretaries, federal and state deputies, councillors, mayors and representatives of different segments of farmers.

The tour began with a visit to an area in the Meia Água settlement, in the Nossa Senhora de Fátima community. There, Rosilaine Lenz, her husband, João Sirinei, and their two children, aged two and four, live, plant corn and raise cattle and chickens. The family said they have already lost two calves due to lack of food. The water comes from a reservoir built with the help of Emater to wash clothes and hydrate the animals. The house is supplied by a water tank, for consumption and cooking. Without harvesting because of the drought and with the cows producing a third of the usual 4,000 liters of milk per month, the situation is difficult in the area.

After checking the reality on the property, an event with the air of a political act was punctuated by the resumption of dialogue between divergent parties and the Union’s agility in adopting measures in support of farmers and settlers, a segment that supported Lula’s candidacy for the presidency. Members of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), the National Federation of Family Farm Workers (Fetraf), PT parliamentarians and even the head of the state’s executive branch highlighted the moment of joining efforts to overcome difficulties.

“For any relationship to work out, both parties need to make moves to seek understanding. It is necessary to make concessions on both sides so that we can coexist well”, said Eduardo Leite, echoing speeches that the electoral period is over and that it is time to look at the population.

The governor assured that Rio Grande do Sul will move forward in synergy with the Union for the construction of structuring programs to face drought situations, including the development of a water security plan for water reservation actions.

“It is not enough to have the money. An environmental analysis is necessary to ensure that the flooding of an area will not represent a negative impact on the ecosystem”.

Leite assessed that the R$ 430 million from the federal government is an “initial step”, but that more is needed to meet needs. He also suggested reviewing the debts of the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) and the National Support Program for Medium Rural Producers (Pronamp) for those who are unable to pay due to decapitalization.

Minister Paulo Teixeira, from the MDA, reinforced that the amount is for emergency actions and that the resources are already available for qualified farmers and city halls of municipalities with an emergency situation decree recognized by the Union.

“This is a decision made by President Lula. To act in the immediate need, but also to build, together with the state government, a structuring plan against new situations like this”, said Teixeira.

He also announced the extension of the use of Pronaf Eligibility Declarations (DAP) for one year, while the National Family Farming Registry (CAF) is reassessed, a basic requirement for access to various public policies aimed at strengthening and developing family farming.

According to the Union, several other actions will be consolidated from the deepening of the dialogue with the state government, city halls and social movements. Wellington Dias (MDS) and Paulo Pimenta (Secom) reaffirmed that the delegation’s visit to Rio Grande do Sul is symbolic, as it represents “President Lula’s will that the government be where the people need it”. They also promised to announce new actions and measures as needs are analyzed and planned. Before the end of the activity, baskets of products from the agrarian reform were handed over to the authorities.

THE ADVERTISED SHARES

The federal government indicated R$ 430 million to face the drought in RS

R$ 300 million via the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture

There will be R$ 50 million in Installation Credit, to pay the 2nd installment and serve 10,000 families settled in municipalities that are in a decreed emergency situation. Each family will receive around R$5,000 in credit with a rebate of between 90% and 95%.

Rural Productive Microcredit will be set up to reach up to 40,000 more vulnerable family farmers, with annual income of up to R$ 23,000, which can reach R$ 250 million. Families can access credit of up to R$6,000, with an interest rate of 0.5% per annum, a 25% non-default bonus and a two-year repayment period.

BRL 30 million via the Ministry of Social Development

The development credit is intended for around 10,000 producing families. There will be R$ 2,400 for each family, to stimulate and maintain the production of family agriculture.

Through a partnership between the ministry and Conab, food will be distributed to the most vulnerable families in emergency areas, in an action equivalent to R$ 5 million.

BRL 100 million via the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development

The resources are for municipalities in an emergency situation, in the acquisition of basic food baskets and hiring and maintenance of water trucks.

Although they were seen as an important move by the federal government towards the communities affected by the drought, the measures announced by the ministers in Hulha Negra were considered insufficient by entities representing farmers. The Federation of Workers in Family Farming in Rio Grande do Sul (Fetag) assesses that the measures are still insufficient, as they do not meet the demands of family farming.

“The greatest desires of family farmers are focused on the capacity to store water for human and animal consumption, the maintenance of productive capacity, in addition to the guarantee that they will be able to honor their financial commitments to carry out a new planting next year” he says. the president, Carlos Joel da Silva.

He points out that the federal government also needs to meet the demands of farmers who have agricultural financing, offering a 35% rebate on overdue, falling due and/or extended installments, as well as the extension of financing for livestock funding and investment from Pronaf and Pronamp with an extended term. Finalizing the agenda, the Federation still charges a credit line of up to R$ 50 thousand with 10 years for payment and rebate of 30% of due date.

As the family farming agenda was not fully met, Fetag, the Unions of Rural Workers and the National Confederation of Agricultural Workers (Contag) will continue to demand and, in the next few days, a delegation will go to Brasília to seek full assistance. of the demands of the sector.

The president of the Parliamentary Front for Family Agriculture, Deputy Heitor Schuch (PSB/RS) considered the coming of the delegation of ministers to RS, this Thursday, to be an important step for the aid agenda for farmers affected by the drought. But, for him, the announced relief measures need to move forward.

“A good start, without a doubt, which shows the effort of the federal government. But urgent issues remain pending, such as funds for debt renegotiation and a credit line of up to R$ 50,000 with 10 years for payment and a 30% rebate of default, as we have been proposing”.

Piratini was uncomfortable with the arrival of a delegation of federal government ministers to Rio Grande do Sul to announce aid measures for communities affected by the drought. So much so that Governor Eduardo Leite had decided not to go to Hulha Negra. In their place, the state secretaries of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation, Giovani Feltes, of Rural Development, Ronaldo Santini; of Social Assistance, Beto Fantinel; for the Environment, Marjorie Kauffmann; of Communication, Tânia Moreira; and the head of the Casa Militar and Civil Defense, Luciano Boeira.

Throughout Wednesday afternoon, the stalemate in the governor’s office was made clear by the delay in confirming who would receive the ministers and accompany them to the Campanha region. The list, without Leite’s name, was released only at night by the Ceremonial.

This Thursday morning, when asked about the absence of the governor, Piratini informed that the state government would have learned about the ministers’ arrival through the press. And that in the absence of an official notice from the Union, “which is customary in these situations”, Leite would have sent messages to some ministers questioning about the agenda released by the press and expressing the government’s interest in participating. Only then, over the course of the afternoon, would the MDA have sent a formal invitation. Even so, the governor would remain in Porto Alegre.

The matter reached the Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Paulo Teixeira, upon arrival at the Canoas air base. Asked about the impasse in an interview with Rádio Band, Paulo Teixeira minimized it and said that Leite had been invited last week. The change at Piratini came at the end of the morning, with the information that Eduardo Leite would join the federal government entourage after fulfilling an agenda at the Piratini Palace.