A delegation of federal government ministers arrives this Thursday (23) in Rio Grande do Sul, where they will visit the city of Hulha Negra, on the border with Uruguay. The region is one of the hardest hit by the drought, which affects 400 municipalities in the state for the third consecutive harvest. In an interview with Agência Brasil this Tuesday (21), the Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, said that of the municipalities affected, 28 have already presented their priority plan. To serve these municipalities, R$ 6.4 million were made available. The funds are being used to release kite trucks and purchase food baskets.
The greatest losses affect soybean and corn crops, both fundamental to the municipality’s economy. There is also impairment of honey production and losses in dairy farming. The impacts affect at least 1,200 rural properties, more than 800 of which are small and located in settlements.
According to the Institute of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Emater), the estimated damage is almost R$ 5 million in dairy and beef cattle. Added to the damage to crops, the economic impact exceeds R$ 38 million. Still according to Emater, only in soybeans, losses already reach 40% in Black Coal production.
It is expected that, during the trip, measures to help those affected by the drought will be announced, including an emergency credit line for small and medium-sized producers. In early February, a delegation from Rio Grande do Sul was in Brasília in search of help for the state.
In addition to the Minister of Integration and Social Development, the ministers of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Paulo Teixeira; of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro; of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Wellington Dias, and the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Paulo Pimenta, in addition to the president of the National Supply Company (Conab), Edgar Pretto.
