BRASILIA. The federal government intends to present, this Tuesday (7), a provisional measure (MP) to authorize the import of one million tons of rice, in response to the floods that affected local production in the Rio Grande do Sul. Over the last week, the State has faced strong storms that hit more than half of the cities in Rio Grande do Sul.
“An MP is being prepared that authorizes the National Supply Company (Conab) to purchase around 1 million tons of rice”, stated the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Carlos Fávaro. The minister also highlighted that “the initial objective is to avoid shortages and prevent speculation due to the lack of logistical infrastructure.”
As mentioned by Fávaro, the choice of imports, at this time, should not have an impact on the price of rice. “If we are quick to import, we maintain stability, as the rice is already peeled and packaged. Then, how to market it? Sell over the counter in the Northeast, North and some of the Southeast regions, in addition to the outskirts of cities, for small buyers, such as grocery stores. This way, we avoid affecting the relationship between the producer and wholesalers”, he assessed.
According to the minister, the measure must be presented after the Senate approves the legislative decree of the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), which recognizes the state of public calamity to serve cities affected by floods in Rio Grande do Sul. The vote is scheduled for this Tuesday (7).
Rio Grande do Sul is responsible for 68% of national rice production and is the second largest soybean producer in the country.
Lula spoke about the topic this Tuesday (7)
This Tuesday (7), President Lula addressed the topic, highlighting that the federal government might need to import rice and beans due to the delay in harvesting the crop in the State. According to him, this measure could be necessary to balance agribusiness production and control the increase in food prices. His statements were made during the “Good morning, president” program of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC).
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