Commenting on the effects of the storms recorded in Rio Grande do Sul on Brazilian agribusiness, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said this Tuesday (7) that the country may need to import rice and beans to balance production and contain the rise in prices .
“I had a meeting with the minister [do Desenvolvimento Agrário e Agricultura Familiar] Paulo Teixeira and with the minister [da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento] Carlos Fávaro on the issue of the price of rice and beans, because they were expensive. I said it was not possible for us to continue with the expensive price. They claimed that the planted area was decreasing and that there was a problem with the delay in harvesting in Rio Grande do Sul.”
“Now, with the rain, I think we have delayed the harvest in Rio Grande do Sul once and for all. If that is the case, to balance production, we will have to import rice, we will have to import beans. So that we can put a price on the table of the Brazilian people that is compatible with what they earn”, he added, when participating in an interview with radio stations during the program Good morning, Presidentproduced by Brazilian Communication Company (EBC).
