President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to coordinate a meeting this Friday (24) with ministers to discuss ways to lower food prices in the country. The issue gained centrality in the government this week, when the president himself stated, in a ministerial meeting, that this is the management priority in 2025. 
Information about the meeting was given by the Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, after participating, on the afternoon of this Thursday (23), at Palácio do Planalto, in a preparatory meeting that included the participation of ministers Rui Costa (Casa Civil ) and Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture), as well as representatives from the Ministry of Finance.
The expectation is that Lula will analyze possible measures that will help contain food inflation. Asked by journalists about a proposal presented by the Brazilian Supermarket Association (Abras), to make the validity of food more flexible, Paulo Teixeira stated that the initiative “is out of the question”.
According to Abras, the suggestion is to insert the model “best before“, which in English means that consumption should be “preferably before”, which, in practice, allows markets to keep products on the shelves for longer. The business entity also presented suggestions for changes to the Workers’ Food Program (PAT), allowing the sale of medicines without a prescription in supermarkets and reducing the repayment period for credit cards.
The Chief Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, said, this Wednesday (22), that the government expects a reduction in food prices from a larger harvest this year. “Our expectation is that the harvest, now, will be much better, of several products, contributing to the cheaper food”, he stated on the program Good morning, Ministerproduced by Brazilian Communication Company (EBC).
