The Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, Supply and Rural Development (CAPADR) of the Chamber of Deputies received in a public hearing, this Wednesday (19), the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, to speak about the need to import rice. Despite demonstrations against the continuation of the auction, the head of the department stated that the Federal Government has not given up on the purchase, but will restructure the notice.
According to the president of the Parliamentary Agricultural Front (FPA), federal deputy Pedro Lupion (PP-PR), the questioning of the purchase of rice is not political or in relation to the Executive Branch's strategy. However, according to him, there is no justification for using a provisional measure to purchase, on an emergency basis, rice that will not be purchased from producers in Rio Grande do Sul nor will it be distributed there.
“Conab itself recognizes that there is no need to purchase. Releasing R$ 7 billion outside the ceiling to use money in this way is not even an essential question about the rice, but where it comes from. There is no shortage and 84.5% of rice stock has been harvested and ready to be distributed. There is simply nothing to question and no reason to use an emergency decree for a purchase like this”, he explained.
Deputies confront government over rice auction
Deputy Afonso Hamm (PP-RS), recalled that the invitation to the minister is due to the urgency of the case. He also criticized the fact that the government “wasted” R$ 7 billion on rice imports. For the parliamentarian, there is a need to create an emergency program to rebuild Rio Grande do Sul.
“The auction is truly absurd. We must allocate the money to rebuild rural properties, to give dignity to producers. This is a defense of Rio Grande do Sul’s agriculture and the country’s development”, highlighted Hamm.
Marcel van Hattem, on the other hand, highlighted that the insistence on the rice auction by the Federal Government is an offense to the people of Rio Grande do Sul. He emphasizes that Gaucho citizens have other priorities. “The government proposed something absurd, as they thought of it without any forecast of flooding. And what's worse, they insist on continuing to make the mistake and want to continue with the auction,” he said.
According to deputy Rodolfo Nogueira (PL-MS), the government auction is not for rice, but “marmalade”. For him, the agricultural sector is going through the worst moment in history and the government refuses to listen to rural producers.
“The government denied extending the costs, and the vast majority of producers are in debt as a result. They set absurd interest rates and come here to say that they think about rural workers. Then they come up with this auction that doesn’t make sense and they want to insist on the lie that it’s good for the producer.”
Minister of Agriculture
The Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, tried on several occasions to explain the rice auction as a way to control the price of the product, in the face of a “tragedy” situation. He stated that, even with rice available, the calamity situation in Rio Grande do Sul would cause the price to rise, and both the federal government and the National Supply Company (Conab) did what should be done.
“The decision to buy rice was made by the government. This does not mean that the objective is to compete with the producer, but it is the government's role to provide stability. It is not, yet, about confronting producers or discouraging rice production, on the contrary. The real fact is that rice prices increase in the face of tragedy even when rice is available. The Government and Conab fulfilled their role”, he reinforced.
Fávaro also adds that the government will not give up continuing with the auction and will restructure the notice. For the minister, there is a lack of interest from Brazilian companies in participating and contributing to the efficient supply of the Brazilian market. Fávaro also states that improvements will be made for the next notices.
“Conab does not qualify who can or cannot participate, but this can be improved. Then we saw that some companies that qualified for the auction do not have a profile, but we cannot judge before knowing. We annulled the process because it is part of the management act to combat any type of conflict of interest.”
Regarding the dismissal of the former Secretary of Agricultural Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Neri Geller, Fávaro said that “despite the flawed act of having his son linked to the company that operated this auction”, there was nothing wrong that could be condemned.
“But it needs to be investigated. Therefore, President Lula determined that the CGU carry out the investigation, that the Federal Police carry out the investigation”, he concluded.
Rice CPI
Federal deputy Giovani Cherini (PL-RS), member of the FPA, understands that the only way to uncover the real interest of the auctions is to sign the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) for rice. The parliamentarian called the purchase “unnecessary and obscure” and recalled that agriculture is the only segment that can support Brazil’s economy.
“I had admiration for the minister, but I no longer do. He spreads a narrative that it was necessary to buy rice and in an obscure way. The only sector that holds the economy back is agriculture. but the greatest discouragement in Brazilian agriculture is happening. We have no legal security and no minister”, lamented Cherini.
Also from Rio Grande do Sul, Lieutenant Colonel Zucco, corroborated his colleague's opinion about the CPI and questioned one of Minister Fávaro's justifications, who argued that the government was the target of a speculative attack on rice.
“The Arrozão CPI, depending on what we can achieve, will have a minister who will fall. Even more so with this talk of speculative attacks, which is nonsense, as it was the government that irresponsibly announced that it would import 1 million tons of rice. This speculation came from the government and not from the producer in Rio Grande do Sul, which makes this auction even more scandalous”, he concluded.
Source: Notícias Agrícolas
