Lula’s ministers check the effects of the drought in RS

A delegation of ministers will travel to Rio Grande do Sul this Thursday (23) to verify the damage caused by the drought to the agricultural sector. The group will visit the region of Hulha Negra, in the Campaign. The municipality is one of the 315 that have already declared an emergency situation due to water shortages until the early afternoon of this Tuesday (21).

The group will be composed by the ministers of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, of Development and Social Assistance, Wellington Dias, of Regional Development, Waldez Góes, and of the Social Communication Secretariat, Paulo Pimenta. Former state deputy Edegar Pretto (PT), nominated for the presidency of the National Supply Company (Conab), will also be on the trip.

The group is studying measures to help the sector, which is facing the third consecutive drought. One of the alternatives under debate is the creation of an emergency line for small and medium-sized producers, with subsidized interest and extended payment terms.

On Friday (17th), Governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) announced measures to combat the drought, such as a 20% subsidy for irrigation projects and financial aid of 15 million for city governments to meet the demands for water supply in the rural properties. The state government will also launch a drought monitoring system.

Losses from the fall in soy and corn production by the State already exceed R$ 28 billion, according to an estimate by the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Rio Grande do Sul (FecoAgro). The calculation is based on a survey carried out by the Technical Cooperative Network (RTC), which brings together 21 cooperatives in the sector. According to the coordinator of the RTC, Geomar Corazza, the drop in soybean productivity reaches 43%.

“The initial harvest estimate for the crop in Rio Grande do Sul was 23 million tons, with productivity of 3,490 kilograms per hectare, but the current calculation, due to the situation in the crops, does not exceed an average of 1,998 kilograms. we believe in a harvest between 13 million and 14 million tons, depending on the conditions throughout the month of February”, says Corazza.

In corn, the initial forecast of harvesting 7,200 kilos per hectare was updated to 3,180 kilos. The decrease represents a 56% drop in the average productivity of the crop.