Esplanada dos Ministérios, in Brasília (DF).| Photo: Ana Volpe/Agência Senado

One of the 15 provisional measures (MP) that the Senate expects to vote on until next week worries the government. MP 1,154/2023, which redefines the structure of the Federal Executive Branch and gave the face of the new government, was edited on the first day of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) term and is close to expiring (June 1 ). Despite this, the final text is still far from a definition, stuck in the mixed commission, which was installed on April 11 and had only two sessions.

The chairman of the mixed commission, government senator Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), has not shown signs that the MP will advance in time and the rapporteur, deputy Isnaldo Bulhões Júnior (MDB-AL), is still making adjustments. The text needs to be approved in plenary by the deputies and, later, by the senators.

The MP that deals with the structure of the 37 ministries received 154 suggestions for change (amendments), a few already rejected by Bulhões Júnior. Among the government’s concerns is the maintenance of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture (MDA), which has Conab, PAA, Pronaf and ATER in its structure.

The National Supply Company (Conab), previously linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, is a public company dedicated to food security and domestic supply in the country. Within the policy to encourage family farming, the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) involves direct purchases from family farmers and their organizations.

The National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) is a government initiative to provide credit and technical support. Finally, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Ater) provides services to farmers to promote their activities. All these bodies are targets of disputes for positions.