Brasília – Agricultural defense in Brazil is getting USD 200 million within the next five years for modernization of pest control and the restructuring of animal and plant health. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is supplying USD 195 million, with the remaining USD 5 million coming from the federal government.
A loan agreement for the Agricultural Defense Modernization and Enhancement Program (Prodefesa) was signed this Wednesday (4) by Brazil’s Agriculture, Livestock and Supply minister Tereza Cristina and IDB representative in Brazil Hugo Flórez Timorán. The deal was given the green light by the Federal Senate and came during the IDB’s 60th anniversary ceremony.
The Agriculture minister said the Prodefesa program will enable Brazil to remain free from diseases like aphthous fever and pests like the carambola fruit fly. For Timorán, the contract shows that the financial institution is interested in keeping Brazil as its strategic partner. “In the next few years, we’ll keep track of Brazil’s efforts to step up productivity and thus consolidate its social advances,” he said.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
