Settlements in Querência do Norte (northwest region) that work with rice cultivation benefited from the release this Monday (20) of the second installment of the agreement between Incra and the State Department of Agriculture and Supply in the amount of R$ 1.68 million. There are more than 500 family farming families settled in the region, who will receive equipment for parboiling rice.
According to secretary Norberto Ortigara, this resource now complements the total agreement of R$ 4.14 million, intended for the restructuring of rice processing and marketing, with the acquisition of machinery and equipment for the agro-industrial complex of the Rice Production Chain for parboiling the cereal. “This resource will contribute, decisively, to the already installed industrial park processing the rice produced by the settlements of Querência do Norte”, he highlights.
For the director of Settlement Project Development, Ewerton Giovanni dos Santos, the second stage of releasing resources from this agreement comes to enable producers' access to the market. With the acquisition of one of the most important equipment in the production system, which is rice parboiling. “Agrarian reform, with all the difficulties it faces from a budgetary point of view, is managing to get equipment to producers that will add value to their product, opening the doors to commercialization for export of their product”, says Ewerton.
STRENGTHENING FAMILY AGRICULTURE – Querência do Norte is the region where irrigated rice production is concentrated in Paraná. For Mayor Rozinei Raggiotto Oliveira, the benefits of purchasing this equipment will be enormous. “Settlements drive the city’s economy, and the possibility of adding value to production is very welcome,” he says.
The city has received numerous settlements over the last 20 years. In total there are more than 700 families that have good experience in dairy production and excel in rice production.
According to Giovani Braum, president of the Avante Commercialization and Agrarian Reform Cooperative, who represented the settlers at the signing of the agreement, farmers are increasingly dedicated to improving their production, and government support is essential.
The Department of Agriculture is responsible for managing the agreement, bidding process and purchasing equipment. According to Richardson de Souza, director of Agricultural Development at the secretariat, the counterpart in resources is R$ 48,680.00. “We have always sought efficiency in bidding processes to find good suppliers and competitive prices.”
Present at the signing of the agreement were federal deputy Fernando Francischini, responsible for intermediation that expedited the signing of this second stage of the agreement; MST leaders, representatives of the settlements and the president of Emater, Rubens Ernesto Niederheitmann.
