Rousseff announces unprecedented family farming investments
In order to increase productivity levels, Rousseff recalled, some 800,000 family farmers will rely on technical assistance provided by the National Agency for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ANATER)
Dilma Rousseff said Monday (June 2) on EBC's weekly radio broadcast, Breakfast with the President, that the new Family Farming Program (Plano Safra da Agricultura Familiar) for the 2014/2015 harvest season will rely on an unprecedented budget of $10.7 billion to support production, farm modernization, and machinery and equipment purchases.
The president pointed out that interest rates remain the same as last season, between 0.5% and 3.5% a year for farmers, which can get up to 4% for cooperatives. In addition, family farming will benefit from enhanced terms under PROAGRO Farming Insurance Program. “As of 2015, the insurance coverage will be based on the anticipated revenue rather than the cost of production. We will insure 80% of the expected gross revenue,” she explained.
Rousseff announced that funds of $5.3 billion were earmarked for machinery and equipment purchases under the new Plano Safra.
In order to increase productivity levels, Rousseff recalled, some 800,000 family farmers will rely on technical assistance provided by the National Agency for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ANATER). “ANATER will partner with Embrapa [Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation] and other research institutes to give all farmers access to the best available technology so as to promote sustainable development in rural areas, ” Rousseff pointed out, adding that funds of $5.3 billion were earmarked for machinery and equipment purchases under the new Plano Safra.
Moreover, Rousseff said that the debts of 945,000 families settled via the agrarian reform are being renegotiated. “This means that these families will be able to take new loans and thus re-establish their previous production levels. We have also introduced a credit line of $714.6 million for the new agrarian reform settlers. These farmers will be provided Settler's Cards (Cartão do Assentado) for easier access to credit, banks, and technical assistance.”
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Rousseff announces unprecedented family farming investments
